神魂 (shén hún) — soul; state of mind; mental state | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literary/literary-flavored word for 'soul' or 'state of mind,' usually in set phrases like 神魂不定 ('unsettled') or 神魂颠倒 ('ecstatically obsessed').

noun

soulstate of mindmental state

Examples

神魂。
Tā de shén hún sì hū bú zài shēn shàng.
His soul seems not to be in his body.
，神魂。
Kàn le nà fēng xìn hòu, tā shén hún bú dìng.
After reading that letter, he was unsettled.
神魂。
Tā de shén hún bèi yīn yuè shēn shēn xī yǐn le.
Her soul was deeply attracted by the music.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

神 and 魂 both refer to spirit or soul, so together they mean one's inner mental state.

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.

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

Abstract Concepts

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