灵 líng — spirit · English

灵

líng

spirit

At a glance · 灵

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

「灵」繁体「靈」从巫霝声，小篆从巫靈声，形声清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「灵」本义为巫（灵媒）、神灵，引申灵验、机灵。

Structure

从巫、霝(líng)声，形声字，巫表义类，霝表音，本为神灵。简作灵。

At a glance

Pinyinlíng

Radical火

Strokes7

UnicodeU+7075

Character type形声

Theme其他

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English spirit spirit, soul; spiritual world

Français esprit / âme Esprit, âme. «画彩仙灵» : les esprits sacrés.

Español espíritu / alma Espíritu, alma. «画彩仙灵»: los espíritus sagrados.

العربية روح / نفس روح، نفس. «画彩仙灵»: الأرواح المقدّسة.

Русский дух / душа Дух, душа. «画彩仙灵»: священные духи.

Common words

灵língspirit
灵活líng huóflexible

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