The word 灵魂 (líng hún) is formed through the conceptual merging of two ancient ideas about the essence of a person: 灵 originally referred to the divine, magical, or animating force (often associated with shamans and the supernatural), while 魂 specifically denoted the breath-soul or conscious spirit that leaves the body at death. Over time, these two distinct but complementary concepts were combined into a single compound to express the complete, unified notion of the "soul" or "spirit", encompassing both its ethereal, intelligent nature and its sacred, animating power.