神通 (shén tōng) — (religious) supernatural power, spiritual power (from Buddhist/Daoist cultivation); extraordinary ability, remarkable resourcefulness (often in figurative usage)

Definition

神通 (shéntōng) literally 'spiritual power,' referring to supernatural or magical abilities from Buddhist/Daoist cultivation, and by extension any extraordinary, resourceful skill. Pairs with 广大 ('vast') and 显 ('to display').

noun
(religious) supernatural powerspiritual power (from Buddhist/Daoist cultivation)extraordinary abilityremarkable resourcefulness (often in figurative usage)

Examples

  • 神通。
    Chuán shuō zhè wèi gāo sēng jù yǒu wǔ zhǒng shén tōng.
    Legend says this eminent monk possesses five supernatural powers.
  • ，。
    Tā shén tōng guǎng dà, zǒng néng bǎ huài shì biàn chéng hǎo shì.
    He is extremely resourceful and always manages to turn bad things into good.
  • 神通，。
    Xiǎo shuō lǐ de yāo guài gè xiǎn shén tōng, zhàn dòu shí fēn jīng cǎi.
    The monsters in the novel each displayed their magical powers, making the battle very exciting.

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
通tōngpenetrating

神 (divine) and 通 (penetrating) combine to mean supernatural penetrating power.

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
辶Written in full as辵chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
甬
甬yǒng通tōng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

通 pairs 辶, a part associated with movement, with 甬, which gives the sound.

Open 通 →

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