传神 (chuán shén) — vivid, lifelike (capturing the spirit of the su…

Definition

Said of art, writing, or performance that captures the inner spirit of its subject, not just its outer form. Often pairs with 描写, 表演, or 刻画 to praise lifelike execution.

adjective

vividlifelike (capturing the spirit of the subject)

Examples

传神。
Zhè fú huà bǎ rén wù de shén tài huà dé hěn chuán shén.
This painting captures the character's expression very vividly.
传神，。
Tā de zuò pǐn miáo xiě dé fēi cháng chuán shén, ràng dú zhě yǒu yì zhǒng shēn lín qí jìng de gǎn jué.
His work describes very vividly, giving readers a feeling of being there.
传神，。
Zhè wèi yǎn yuán de biǎo yǎn hěn chuán shén, bǎ jué sè de qíng gǎn biǎo xiàn dé fēi cháng zhēn shí.
This actor's performance is very vivid, expressing the character's emotions very realistically.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

传chuánconvey

神shénspirit

“传” (convey) and “神” (spirit) suggest conveying the spirit of a subject.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 傳; 传 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

人人rénman

Sound part声符shēngfú

專

專zhuān傳chuán

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 傳 puts 人 (man) beside 專, which gives the sound; the simplified 传 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not the historical ones.

Open 传 →

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

示示shìgod; deity

Sound part声符shēngfú

申

申shēn神shén

Same sound today

The older form 申 drew lightning, which the ancients regarded as divine; 神 adds 示 (god/deity) to mark that meaning.

Open 神 →

Appears in

Art & Fine Arts