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阴魂 (yīn hún) — soul of the dead (especially one with a grievance); ghost, apparition; (figurative) lingering harmful influence; persistent presence

Definition

Literary term for the ghost of a dead person with unresolved business, often lingering to haunt. The figuratve sense of a harmful influence that will not go away is common in modern writing.

noun
soul of the dead (especially one with a grievance)ghostapparition(figurative) lingering harmful influencepersistent presence
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，阴魂，。
    Tā sǐ le yǐ hòu, yīn hún bú sàn, yì zhí zài lǎo fáng zi lǐ pái huái.
    After he died, his spirit lingered, always wandering in the old house.
  • 阴魂，。
    Nà ge wèn tí jiù xiàng yīn hún yí yàng, shǐ zhōng kùn rǎo zhe wǒ.
    That problem haunts me like a ghost.
  • 阴魂，。
    Jiā zú de yīn hún sì hū cóng wèi xiāo sàn, yǐng xiǎng zhe měi yí dài rén.
    The family's ghost seems never to fade, affecting every generation.

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.

阴yīnyin
魂húnsoul

“阴” refers to the yin or underworld and “魂” means soul, together naming a ghost or lingering spirit.

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 陰; 阴 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阜阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
侌
侌yīn陰yīn
Same sound today

The traditional form 陰 combines 阜, the meaning part, with 侌, the sound part. The simplified 阴 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 阴 →

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
鬼鬼guǐ
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.

Open 魂 →
Appears in
Mythology & Folklore

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