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神功 (shén gōng) — (in wuxia/fantasy) miraculous martial art; superhuman feat; (figurative) prodigious achievement; miracle

Definition

Literary/cinematic word for a 'miraculous feat' or 'superhuman skill' — almost always appears in wuxia, fantasy, or talk of legendary Taoist/superhero abilities. Reads as grandiose and not used in everyday contexts.

noun
(in wuxia/fantasy) miraculous martial artsuperhuman feat(figurative) prodigious achievementmiracle

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā liàn chéng le zhè mén shén gōng, tiān xià wú dí.
    He mastered this miraculous martial art and became invincible under heaven.
  • 神功。
    Chuán shuō zhōng yǒu yí wèi dào shi kào shén gōng zhì hǎo le hěn duō rén de bìng.
    Legend has it that a Taoist priest cured many people's illnesses through a miraculous feat.
  • 神功。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng lǐ de shén gōng tè xiào fēi cháng zhèn hàn.
    The special effects for the miraculous martial arts in this movie are very stunning.

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.

神shéndivine
功gōngskill/feat

神 'divine' describes 功 'skill/feat', giving a superhuman feat.

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
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 →

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
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng功gōng
Same sound today

功 puts 力 (strength) beside 工, which gives the sound gōng and means labour or work.

Open 功 →
Appears in
Mythology & Folklore

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