魂牵梦萦 (hún qiān mèng yíng) — to miss very much; to yearn for (idiom)

Definition

A literary chengyu meaning to miss or long for someone/something so deeply it fills your dreams. Far more formal and intense than everyday 想念 or 思念.

verb
to miss very muchto yearn for (idiom)

Examples

  • 魂牵梦萦。
    Gù xiāng de shān shuǐ yì zhí ràng tā hún qiān mèng yíng.
    The landscapes of his hometown have always haunted his dreams.
  • 魂牵梦萦，。
    Nà shǒu lǎo gē ràng wǒ hún qiān mèng yíng, fǎng fú huí dào le tóng nián.
    That old song fills me with yearning, as if I've returned to my childhood.
  • 魂牵梦萦，。
    Tā shì tā hún qiān mèng yíng de nà ge rén, què shǐ zhōng wú fǎ xiāng jiàn.
    She is the one he longs for day and night, yet they can never meet.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

魂牵soul is pulled
魂húnsoul牵qiānpull
主谓Subject + predicate
梦萦dreams entwine
梦mèngdream萦yíngentwine
主谓Subject + predicate

The soul is pulled and dreams are entwined, giving the sense of deep longing.

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
鬼鬼guǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
云
云yún魂hún(r)
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

魂 is made from 鬼, the ghost component, plus 云, which supplies the sound.

Open 魂 →

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 牽; 牵 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
牛牛niúcow, ox
Sound part声符shēngfú
玄
玄xuán牽qiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 牽 is built from 玄 and 牛, an ox, giving the picture of leading an ox by hand. The simplified 牵 is a later shorthand.

Open 牵 →

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 夢; 梦 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
夕夕xī
Sound part声符shēngfú
瞢
瞢méng夢mèng
Same sound today

The traditional form 夢 pairs 夕 (night) with 瞢, which gives the sound; its older form showed a person lying with an eye emphasized.

Open 梦 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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