📖 Meaning
Describes a state of extreme terror and fright, where one feels as though their very soul has flown away and their spirit has fled. It is a variant of the more common idiom 魂飞魄散 (hún fēi pò sàn). The expression conveys an overwhelming, paralyzing fear that overtakes the entire body and mind.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom is a variant of the widely used 魂飞魄散, both rooted in ancient Chinese folk beliefs that the soul (魂) and spirit (魄) could separate from the body under extreme shock or terror. The imagery of a soul flying away and a spirit leaping out draws on traditional dual-soul concepts found in early Chinese cosmology and medicine. While no single definitive classical text is uniquely associated with this exact wording, the phrase appears in vernacular fiction and storytelling of the Ming and Qing dynasties as a dramatic intensifier for scenes of sudden fright. It functions interchangeably with its better-known counterpart in most literary contexts.
💡 Example Usage
那声巨响让她魂飞魄越，半天说不出一句话。
That loud crash left her so terrified that she could not utter a single word for a long while.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 魂飞魄越
- Pinyin: hún fēi pò yuè
- Literal Translation: soul flies, spirit leaps
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4