魄 pò — lunar glow; soul · English

魄

pò

lunar glow; soul

At a glance · 魄

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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.

小篆从鬼，白声，本义为月始生或将死之微光（月魄），引申为精神。形声清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

本义为月初/月末的微月光，引申为魂魄。

Structure

形声字，从鬼（意符，幽冥），白（bó）为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinpò

Radical鬼

Strokes15

UnicodeU+9B44

Character type形声

Theme天文

Six languages, one character

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

English lunar glow; soul Faint moonlight; also the soul or spirit.

Français lueur lunaire; âme Lueur de lune ; aussi l’âme ou l’esprit.

Español luz lunar; alma Luz tenue de luna ; también el alma.

العربية وهج القمر؛ روح وهج خفيف للقمر؛ ويُستعار للروح.

Русский лунный свет; душа Слабый лунный свет; также душа, дух.

Common words

魄pòsoul
月魄yuè pòmoonlight

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