魂魄 (húnpò): soul

Meanings

1 soul
2 spirit (the combined ethereal and corporeal souls)

Characters

魂

hún

ethereal soul / spirit (heavenly)

魄

pò

corporeal soul / spirit (earthly)

Examples

她被吓得魂魄出窍。

Tā bèi xià de húnpò chūqiào.

She was so frightened that her soul nearly left her body.

古人相信人死后魂魄不散。

Gǔrén xiāngxìn rén sǐ hòu húnpò bù sàn.

The ancients believed that the soul does not disperse after death.

Tips

culture

In classical Chinese belief, a person has two distinct souls: 魂 (hún) is the ethereal, heavenly soul — the seat of consciousness — while 魄 (pò) is the corporeal, earthly soul tied to the physical body. Together, 魂魄 represents the complete spiritual self. At death, 魂 ascends to heaven while 魄 remains with the body.