灵魂 (líng hún) — soul; spirit (core essence) | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

灵魂 is the soul of a person — both the religious/spiritual 'soul' and the figurative 'core, heart' of a group or culture. 精神 refers more to collective spirit or mental state; 心灵 emphasizes the inner emotional/intellectual self.

noun

soulspirit (core essence)

Examples

灵魂。
Rén men cháng cháng sī kǎo líng hún shì fǒu cún zài.
People often wonder whether the soul exists.
灵魂。
Tā shì zhè ge tuán duì de líng hún rén wù.
He is the soul of this team.
灵魂。
Zhè zhǒng wén huà líng hún dài dài xiāng chuán.
This cultural spirit has been passed down through generations.

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.

“灵” and “魂” both refer to spirit, so together they mean the soul or core essence.

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 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.

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

云鬼魂

Meaning part形符xíngfú

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

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