魂 hún soul
soul; spirit
How to remember 魂: 云 cloud + 鬼 ghost = soul. Grandma watches a cloud drift over the house and tells the kids it is not a ghost, just grandpa's kind soul.
Component breakdown
魂 = 云 cloud + 鬼 ghost
- 云 cloud
- 鬼 ghost
Grandma watches a cloud drift over the house and tells the kids it is not a ghost, just grandpa's kind soul.
How it is used
- Soul/spirit - 灵魂 (línghún) soul; central in idioms about being shaken or distracted: 魂不守舍 (húnbùshǒushè) absent-minded, spirit not at home; 神魂颠倒 (shénhún diāndǎo) head over heels/infatuated.
- Distinct from 灵魂 as 'the essence of' something: 灵魂人物 (línghún rénwù) the key/soul figure of a group. 丢魂 (diūhún) = scared out of one's wits.
- Slightly literary, but the compounds are common.