Dictionary › 灵

灵

líng

HSK 5 Character Traditional 靈

What 灵 means

1. quick
2. alert
3. efficacious
4. effective
5. to come true
6. spirit
7. departed soul
8. coffin

Example sentences

• 刹车失灵了。
  Shāchē shīlíng le.
  The brake stopped working.
• 汤姆脑瓜灵。
  Tāngmu nǎoguā líng.
  Tom has a good head on his shoulders.
• 狗的嗅觉灵敏。
  Gǒu de xiùjué língmǐn.
  Dogs have a keen sense of smell.
• 我们心有灵犀。
  Wǒmen xīn yǒu língxī.
  Our hearts are linked.
• 他脑子很灵光。
  He is sharp-witted.
• 我灵感枯竭了。
  My inspiration has run dry.

Words starting with 灵

• 灵活líng huóflexible; nimble; agile
• 灵魂líng húnsoul; spirit
• 灵感líng gǎncreative inspiration
• 灵敏líng mǐnsmart; clever; sensitive
• 灵通líng tōngfast and abundant (news); clever; effective
• 灵气líng qìspiritual influence (of mountains etc); cleverness; ingeniousness
• 灵性líng xìngspiritual nature; spirituality; intelligence (esp. in animals)
• 灵巧líng qiǎodeft; nimble; ingenious
• 灵机一动líng jī yī dònga bright idea suddenly occurs (idiom); to hit upon an inspiration…
• 灵活性líng huó xìngflexibility
• 灵动líng dòngto be quick-witted
• 灵光líng guāngdivine light (around the Buddha); a halo; a miraculous column of light
• 灵堂líng tángmourning hall; funeral hall
• 灵异líng yìdeity; monster; strange
• 灵芝líng zhīlingzhi or reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum)
• 灵验líng yànefficacious; effective; (of a prediction) accurate
• 灵犀líng xīrhinoceros horn, reputed to confer telepathic powers; fig. mutual sensitivity…
• 灵柩líng jiùcoffin containing a corpse
• 灵车líng chēhearse
• 灵敏度líng mǐn dù(level of) sensitivity
• 灵位líng wèimemorial tablet
• 灵便líng biànquick; agile; nimble
• 灵利líng lìclever; bright; quick-witted
• 灵命líng mìngthe will of Heaven; the will of God

Words containing 灵

• 心灵xīn língbright; smart; quick-witted
• 机灵jī lingalert; quick-witted; lively
• 精灵jīng língspirit; fairy; elf
• 幽灵yōu língspecter; apparition; ghost
• 不灵bù língnot work; be ineffective
• 神灵shén línggod; spirit; demon
• 亡灵wáng língspirit of the dead; departed soul
• 失灵shī língout of order (of machine); not working properly; a failing (of a system)
• 生灵shēng líng(literary) the people; living thing; creature
• 圣灵Shèng língHoly Ghost; Holy Spirit
• 百灵bǎi línglark (bird of family Alaudidae)
• 活灵活现huó líng huó xiànliving spirit, living image (idiom); true to life; vivid and realistic
• 通灵tōng língto communicate with the spirits; psychic; (ears) sensitive
• 水灵shuǐ líng(of fruit etc) fresh; (of a person etc) full of life; healthy-looking…
• 显灵xiǎn líng(of a supernatural or divine being) to appear; to make itself manifest
• 魂灵hún língsoul; mind; idea
• 轻灵qīng língquick and skillful; agile
• 在天之灵zài tiān zhī língsoul and spirit of the deceased
• 都灵Dū língTorino; Turin (Italy)
• 心灵手巧xīn líng shǒu qiǎocapable; clever; dexterous
• 图灵Tú língAlan Turing (1912–1954), English mathematician and logician, widely recognized as a…
• 威灵wēi língauthority; prestige; supernatural spirit
• 守灵shǒu língto keep watch beside a coffin
• 属灵shǔ língspiritual

Characters built on 火

These share the phonetic component 火 (huǒ), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 荧yínga glimmer; glimmering; twinkling
• 烃tīnghydrocarbon
• 炳bǐngbright; brilliant; luminous

Characters that look like 灵

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 更gèngmore; even more; further
• 至zhìto arrive; most; to
• 夹jiāto press from either side; to place in between; to sandwich
• 炎yánflame; inflammation; -itis
• 秃tūbald (lacking hair or feathers); barren; bare; denuded; blunt (lacking a point)
• 茔yíng(literary) a grave

Sounds the same

Read líng, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 零zero; nought; zero sign
• 龄age; length of experience, membership etc
• 凌to approach; to rise high; thick ice
• 铃(small) bell
• 陵mound; tomb; hill
• 伶(old) actor; actress; (meaningless bound form)
• 岭used in 岭𫶕líng yíng
• 玲(onomatopoeia) ting-a-ling (in compounds such as 玎玲 or 玲珑); tinkling of gem-pendants
• 菱(bound form) water caltrop (Trapa species)
• 令used in 脊令; used in 令狐
• 苓fungus; tuber
• 绫damask; thin silk