📖 Meaning
A superstitious term meaning to seize and capture someone's soul, causing their death. It originally described the terrifying power attributed to underworld figures like Yama, the king of hell. In literature it is used metaphorically for techniques or methods so formidable they seem capable of taking lives.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase originates from the Song Dynasty work Gui Xin Za Shi Xu Ji (Miscellaneous Notes, Continued) by Zhou Mi, where it appears in a section praising the thirty-six heroes of Song Jiang. It describes Ruan Xiaoqi as the Living Yama (活阎罗), comparing him to the underworld judge who chases and captures souls. The expression later appeared in Ming Dynasty novels such as Luo Guanzhong's Ping Yao Zhuan (Subduing the Demons), where it characterizes fearsome magical techniques.
💡 Example Usage
这道士自称精通追魂摄魄之术，能令人顷刻丧命。
The Daoist priest claimed to be skilled in the art of seizing souls and capturing spirits, able to kill a person in an instant.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 追魂摄魄
- Pinyin: zhuī hún shè pò
- Literal Translation: chase, soul, capture, spirit
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4