英灵 (yīng líng) — spirit of a martyr, heroic soul; (literary) charming atmosphere; (dated, written) person of outstanding ability

Definition

A literary, reverent term for the heroic soul of someone who died for a noble cause — used mainly in commemorative writing. Stronger and more honorific than plain 英雄.

noun
spirit of a martyrheroic soul(literary) charming atmosphere(dated, written) person of outstanding ability

Examples

  • ，英灵。
    Měi nián qīng míng jié, rén men dōu huì qù liè shì líng yuán jì diàn yīng líng.
    Every year on Qingming Festival, people go to the martyr cemetery to pay respects to the heroic spirits.
  • 英灵。
    yīng líng De jīng shén yǒng yuǎn huó zài rén mín xīn zhōng.
    The spirit of the heroic souls will forever live in the hearts of the people.
  • 英灵。
    Zhè bù xiǎo shuō gē sòng le wèi guó juān qū de yīng líng.
    This novel praises the heroic souls who died for their country.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

英yīngoutstanding or heroic
灵língspirit

英, outstanding or heroic, combines with 灵, spirit, to mean the soul of a hero.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
央
央yāng英yīng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

英 pairs 艹 (grass) with 央, which gives the sound.

Open 英 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 靈; 灵 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
玉玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
霝
霝líng靈líng
Same sound today

This note describes the traditional form 靈, not the simplified 灵: 霝 gives the sound, and 玉 (jade) is the meaning part.

Open 灵 →

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