TongTong
Sign in

魂 (hún) — soul; spirit (the animating essence of a person or thing)

Definition

Literary/cultural word for 'soul' or animating spirit of a person or place — used in figurative phrases (e.g. 文化魂, 魂不守舍) rather than everyday speech about feelings or ghosts.

noun
soulspirit (the animating essence of a person or thing)

Examples

  • ，魂？
    Rén sǐ le yǐ hòu, hún huì qù nǎ lǐ?
    Where does the soul go after a person dies?
  • 魂，。
    Tā jīn tiān yì zhí hún bù shǒu shè, hǎo xiàng yǒu xīn shì.
    He has been absent-minded all day, as if he has something on his mind.
  • 魂。
    Měi zuò chéng shì dōu yǒu zì jǐ dú tè de wén huà hún.
    Every city has its own unique cultural spirit.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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.

Appears in
Mythology & FolkloreReligion & Belief

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.