ling4 wan4靈魂灵魂
Jyutpingling4 wan4
Yalelìhng wàhn
Definition
Soul or spirit; the immortal vehicle of consciousness and personality.
neutralpeopledescriptions
How it's used
Refers to the metaphysical essence of a person, often used metaphorically to describe someone who lacks passion or vitality. It appears frequently in discussions about art or music to suggest that a piece lacks emotional depth or character. While it shares the same characters as the Mandarin term, the Cantonese pronunciation is distinct and carries a slightly more philosophical or dramatic weight in casual speech.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
He seems like he has no soul.
Do you think there is a soul after people die?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this to mean a person's personality or temperament, as those are better expressed by terms like 性格 or 為人.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
