wan4 paak3魂魄
Jyutpingwan4 paak3
Yalewàhn paak
Definition
Soul; the spiritual essence inhabiting a body.
colloquialbodyemotion
How it's used
Refers to the traditional concept of the dual soul, where 魂 represents the spiritual soul and 魄 represents the physical soul. In modern colloquial speech, it is almost exclusively used in idioms or expressions describing someone who is absent-minded, terrified, or shocked. It carries a slightly dramatic or superstitious nuance compared to the more neutral 靈魂.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
Are you frightened? You seem like you've lost your soul.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use this to refer to the soul in a religious or philosophical sense as one would use 靈魂. It is strictly tied to the state of one's mental presence or life force in a physical body.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
