灵魂伴侣
línghún bànlǚ
The English word 'soulmate' is translated into Chinese as 灵魂伴侣 (línghún bànlǚ).
灵魂伴侣 refers to someone with whom one has a special connection. While the English term 'soulmate' can describe any deep connection, in Chinese, 灵魂伴侣 often carries a more romantic or profound spiritual connotation.
Meaning: Someone with whom one has a special connection (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of 灵魂 (línghún), meaning 'soul' and 伴侣 (bànlǚ), meaning 'partner' or 'companion'.
Which one should you use?
If you are referring to a soulmate in the sense of a deep platonic friendship or someone who truly understands your heart, the word 知己 (zhījǐ) is often more natural than 灵魂伴侣.
How do you pronounce it?
línghún bànlǚ
Did you know?
- The concept of 知音 (zhīyīn) comes from a legend about Bo Ya, a musician who stopped playing the lute forever after the only person who truly understood his music died.
- While 灵魂伴侣 (línghún bànlǚ) is a direct translation of 'soulmate', it is a relatively modern loan-concept from Western culture rather than a traditional Chinese term.
- If you want to suggest a soulmate is a result of fate, you should use the word 缘分 (yuánfèn), which implies a predestined connection from a past life.
Examples in context
- 多年来，我一直在寻找我的灵魂伴侣。For years, I've been searching for my soulmate.
- 遇见她就像找到了知己。Meeting her felt like finding my soulmate.
- 我觉得他就是我的灵魂伴侣。Wǒ juéde tā jiùshì wǒ de línghún bànlǚ.I feel that he is my soulmate.
- 寻找灵魂伴侣并不容易。Xúnzhǎo línghún bànlǚ bìng bù róngyì.Finding a soulmate is not easy.
- 她一直想找一个灵魂伴侣。Tā yīzhí xiǎng zhǎo yīgè línghún bànlǚ.She has always wanted to find a soulmate.
Example conversation
Junjie and Xiaowen are talking about love in a cafe.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你相信灵魂伴侣的存在吗？Nǐ xiāngxìn línghún bànlǚ de cúnzài ma?Do you believe in the existence of soulmates?
- 俊杰 Junjie我相信，但很难遇到。Wǒ xiāngxìn, dàn hěn nán yùdào.I believe so, but they are hard to meet.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我也这么觉得。Wǒ yě zhème juéde.I think so too.
- 俊杰 Junjie希望我们都能找到自己的灵魂伴侣。Xīwàng wǒmen dōu néng zhǎodào zìjǐ de línghún bànlǚ.I hope we can both find our own soulmates.
