魄

pò

白 + 鬼

Definitions

pò (noun) soul; spirit (the mortal soul attached to the body)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 鬼 represents the meaning and 白 represents the sound.

Semantic: 鬼 Phonetic: 白

About

The phono-semantic compound 魄 couples the left radical 鬼 (ghost, spirit), marking the supernatural or non-physical essence of living beings, with the right component 白 (white) as the phonetic. In traditional dualistic soul theory, it refers to the corporeal, earthly soul, distinct from the ethereal 魂, and by extension it also denotes vigor, courage, spirit, and the moon's dark phase, reflecting a shift from the purely spiritual to vital energy and the physical manifestation of inner strength.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他做事很有魄力。

Tā zuò shì hěn yǒu pò lì.

He handles things with great boldness.

这个计划需要魄力。

Zhè gè jì huà xū yào pò lì.

This plan requires boldness.

她的魄力让人佩服。

Tā de pò lì ràng rén pèi fú.

Her boldness is admirable.

强壮的体魄是健康的基础。

Qiáng zhuàng de tǐ pò shì jiàn kāng de jī chǔ.

A strong physique is the foundation of health.

他的魂魄似乎离开了身体。

Tā de hún pò sì hū lí kāi le shēn tǐ.

His soul seems to have left his body.

他的领导魄力赢得了团队的信任。

Tā de lǐng dǎo pò lì yíng dé le tuán duì de xìn rèn.

His leadership boldness won the team's trust.

在危机中展现魄力是领导者的关键素质。

Zài wēi jī zhōng zhǎn xiàn pò lì shì lǐng dǎo zhě de guān jiàn sù zhì.

Showing boldness in a crisis is a key quality of a leader.

古代哲学认为魂魄是人的精神本质。

Gǔ dài zhé xué rèn wéi hún pò shì rén de jīng shén běn zhì.

Ancient philosophy believes that the soul is the spiritual essence of a person.

Related Characters

Component: 白

Component: 鬼

魄