📖 Meaning
This idiom describes being utterly terrified and frightened to the extreme. It conveys the vivid image of one's soul flying away and one's spirit departing out of overwhelming fear. It is equivalent to the more common expression 魂飞魄散.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom is a variant form conveying the same meaning as the well-known expression 魂飞魄散 (hún fēi pò sàn), which depicts the terror of having one's soul and spirit depart from the body. The concept of losing one's soul and spirit due to extreme fear is a recurring motif in classical Chinese literature, appearing in tales, novels, and historical anecdotes. No single definitive literary source is attributed to this particular phrasing. It functions as a synonym to the more widely used 魂飞魄散 found in works such as the Ming dynasty novel Journey to the West.
💡 Example Usage
听到这个噩耗，他顿时魂飞神丧，瘫倒在地。
Upon hearing the terrible news, he was so terrified that his soul left him and he collapsed on the ground.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 魂飞神丧
- Pinyin: hún fēi shén sàng
- Literal Translation: soul fly, spirit lose
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4