魂飞魄散 (hún fēi pò sàn) — to be scared out of one's wits; frightened half to death

Definition

A vivid chengyu for extreme fright — 'soul flying away, spirit scattered'. Stronger than common expressions like 吓坏了: it pictures total, overwhelming terror, and is used in writing or storytelling rather than everyday chat.

idiom
to be scared out of one's witsfrightened half to death

Examples

  • 魂飞魄散。
    Tū rán chū xiàn de hēi yǐng xià dé tā hún fēi pò sàn.
    The sudden black shadow scared him out of his wits.
  • ，魂飞魄散。
    Tīng dào nà ge xiāo xi, tā xià dé hún fēi pò sàn.
    Hearing that news, she was frightened half to death.
  • ，魂飞魄散。
    Tā dú zì zǒu zài qī hēi de xiàng zi lǐ, xīn lǐ hún fēi pò sàn.
    Walking alone in the pitch-black alley, he was scared out of his wits.

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.

魂飞soul flies
魂húnsoul飞fēifly
主谓Subject + predicate
魄散spirit scatters
魄pòspirit散sànscatter
主谓Subject + predicate

魂飞 says the soul flies away and 魄散 says the spirit scatters, describing extreme fright.

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
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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 飛; 飞 is its simplified writing.

For 飞, the traditional form 飛 pictures a bird flying upwards.

Open 飞 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 魄 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 林林líntrees, forest
  • 攴攴pūto knock, to tap

散 combines 林 (trees or forest) and 攴 (to knock or tap), originally showing knocking to clear vegetation, later extended to breaking up or dispersing.

Open 散 →

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