soul

soul 的核心意思是“灵魂、内在精神”，也可引申为事物的精髓、活力，或用来指一个人、一个生命；另有少见的历史和数学用法。

💡 记忆钩子

把 soul 想成一个人或事物里面看不见的“生命核心”：在人身上是灵魂，在作品、地方或文化中是能让它有味道的精神，在行动中则表现为活力；因此也能进一步指一个具体的人或一个生命。

📝 学习建议

先掌握“灵魂”和“事物的精神、精髓”这条主线，再记“一个人、一个生命”等数量表达；不要一开始把它只背成宗教意义上的灵魂。
soul music 是固定名称，不能按普通的“灵魂音乐”随意理解；它通常指一种音乐风格。

📖 中文释义

noun

core 人的灵魂

📖 指被认为存在于人的思想、性格和内在生命中的精神核心；在宗教或民间观念中，它常被认为不会随着身体死亡而消失。

💡 常用“the soul of a person”或“one’s soul”表示某人的灵魂，也可说“save one’s soul”表示拯救灵魂。这个词在宗教、文学和富有哲理的语境中很常见，但日常表达也可用来强调一个人的内在本质。不要把它简单等同于“心情”或“头脑”，它更强调深层的精神和生命核心。

countable uncountable

She believes that the soul lives on after death.

她相信灵魂在死后仍然存在。

The story touched my soul.

这个故事触动了我的灵魂。
core 事物的精神或精髓

📖 把“灵魂”从人引申到事物，指一个地方、作品、活动或群体最有生命力、最能代表其本质的精神。

💡 常用“the soul of + 地方、作品或活动”或“put one’s soul into + 事物”。这里通常不是指真实的超自然灵魂，而是指让事物显得有特色、有感染力的内在精神。中文使用者容易只把它译成“核心”，但在这个义项中还带有温度、生命力和人格色彩。

countable uncountable

The old market is the soul of the town.

这座老市场是这个城镇的灵魂。

She put her soul into the painting.

她把自己的全部精神都投入了这幅画。
common 活力；生命力

📖 指人或活动中让它显得有劲、有生气的力量，也就是“灵魂”外在表现出来的活力。

💡 常见于“with soul”或“put soul into + 活动、表演”等结构，表示做事有热情、有感染力。这个义项比单纯的“energy”更强调精神投入和情感力量。不要在所有“精力”场合都用 soul；普通体力或工作能量通常用其他词更自然。

countable uncountable

The band played with real soul.

这支乐队的演奏充满了真正的活力和感染力。
common 灵魂乐

📖 指一种音乐风格；名称来自这种音乐常被认为具有强烈的情感、节奏和精神力量。

💡 通常用作不可数名词，直接说“listen to soul”或“soul music”。它是音乐类别名称，不是泛指任何“有灵魂的音乐”。谈具体的一首作品时，通常要用“a soul song”或其他合适的可数表达。

countable uncountable

My parents introduced me to soul when I was young.

我小时候，父母让我接触了灵魂乐。
common 一个人

📖 把人看成一个有灵魂的个体，常用于表示某一群人中的一个成员，带有文学性或强调个体存在的色彩。

💡 常见于“数词 + souls”或“not a soul”等结构，前面有数词时通常用复数 souls。它比普通的“person”更有文学色彩，有时也带有亲切或强调生命个体的语气。不要在所有正式人口统计中都用它，因为普通语境通常直接用“people”更自然。

countable uncountable

Not a soul was waiting outside.

外面一个人也没有在等候。
common 一个生命；一条人命

📖 强调一个人的生命作为一个独立单位，尤其用于伤亡、失踪或船上人数等语境。

💡 常见模式是“数词 + souls + 动词”，例如表示有多少人获救或丧生。这个用法常见于新闻、叙事和较正式的表达，语气比“people”更强调每个人都是一个生命。不要把它误解成只谈人的灵魂；这里实际计算的是人数或生命数。

countable uncountable

Five souls were rescued from the boat.

船上的五个人获救了。
rare 数学中的特殊子流形

📖 在黎曼几何的“灵魂定理”中，soul 是一种特殊的子流形；这是专业术语，和日常的“灵魂”只有名称上的联系。

💡 只在数学文献中使用，通常出现在相关理论的固定术语和定义中。它不是普通英语里的隐喻，也不能用来指一般的数学对象。学习普通英语时可以暂不主动使用，但阅读几何学材料时要保留这一术语义。

countable uncountable

souls plural

verb

rare 赋予灵魂或心智

📖 指使某物获得灵魂、心智或精神；这是过时的及物动词用法，可理解为把“内在生命核心”赋予某物。

💡 通常采用“soul + 宾语”的及物结构，但现代英语几乎不用。它主要出现在古旧文学或历史语境中，现代表达“赋予生命”通常改用其他常见动词。不要把名词 soul 直接当作现代普通动词使用。

obsolete transitive
rare 万灵节乞讨

📖 指在万灵节期间挨家挨户乞讨，属于一种旧民俗；其名称与灵魂、祈愿和灵魂饼的传统有关。

💡 这是历史民俗中的不及物动词，现代英语中基本不会在日常语境出现。它通常只用于介绍万灵节传统的历史文本，不能泛指普通的“乞讨”。学习时把它作为文化词汇识别即可。

souls present,singular,third-person souling participle,present souled participle,past souled past

verb

rare 喂养；供养

📖 指给人或动物提供食物、使其吃饱，是一个已过时的动词义；它不是“赋予灵魂”的意思。

💡 历史上可作及物动词使用，但现代英语读者通常不会这样说。遇到它时要根据上下文理解为“喂饱或供养”，不要与名词 soul 的核心意义混淆。学习普通英语时无需主动掌握这个用法。

obsolete

souls present,singular,third-person souling participle,present souled participle,past souled past

📘 英文释义 (WordNet) 共 5 组

a human being

同义词集: person individual someone somebody mortal soul

there was too much for one person to do

上位: being, causal agency, causal agent, cause, organism 下位: abomination, aboriginal, aborigine, achiever, acquaintance, active, actor, admirer, adult, adventurer, adversary, advocate, advocator, african, african-american, aggregator, agnostic, albino, allayer, amateur, ancient, anomaly, antagonist, anti, ape, aper, applicant, applied scientist, applier, appointee, appointment, aquarius, archer, aries, assimilator, attempter, authority, automaton, baby, baby boomer, baby buster, balance, baldhead, baldpate, baldy, battler, beard, beholder, belligerent, bereaved, bereaved person, best, birth, black, blogger, blond, blonde, bodybuilder, bomber, boomer, brunet, brunette, bull, buster, cancer, candidate, capitalist, capricorn, carrottop, case, cashier, caucasian, censor, chameleon, changer, child, chooser, closer, coddler, collector, combatant, comforter, common man, common person, commoner, communicator, compeer, compulsive, contemplative, contestant, contriver, controller, convert, copycat, counter, coward, crab, crawler, creator, creature, creditor, creeper, cripple, cross-dresser, dancer, dead person, dead soul, debitor, debtor, deceased, deceased person, decedent, denizen, departed, deviser, dieter, dissenter, dissident, divider, doer, double, doubter, dresser, drug user, dupe, dweller, eccentric, eccentric person, elizabethan, emulator, engineer, entertainer, equal, essayer, ethnic, expert, explorer, exponent, face, female, female person, fiduciary, fighter, fish, flake, fleer, follower, forerunner, friend, fugitive, gambler, gatekeeper, gatherer, gay, geek, gem, gemini, gentile, gipsy, goat, grownup, guinea pig, gypsy, habitant, hater, have, hebrew, heterosexual, heterosexual person, homo, homophile, homosexual, hope, image, imitator, immune, indigen, indigene, indweller, inexperienced person, inhabitant, innocent, insured, insured person, intellect, intellectual, interpreter, introvert, israelite, jew, jewel, jumper, junior, juvenile, juvenile person, killer, kink, latin, leader, learner, left-hander, lefty, leo, libra, life, linguist, lion, literate, literate person, liver, longer, look-alike, lover, machine, mailer, male, male person, man, manipulator, married, match, mediocrity, misfit, mixed-blood, modern, modifier, mollycoddler, mouse, mover and shaker, muscle builder, muscle-builder, musclebuilder, muscleman, namesake, national, native, negro, negroid, neighbor, neighbour, neutral, nonpartisan, nonpartizan, nude, nude person, objector, observer, oddball, opener, opponent, opposer, optimist, orphan, ostrich, owner, pamperer, partner, party, passer, peer, perceiver, percipient, personification, perspirer, philosopher, picker, pisces, planner, player, polyglot, possessor, precursor, primitive, primitive person, proponent, prospect, protester, quarter, quester, radical, ram, realist, recoverer, red-header, redhead, redheader, relation, relative, reliever, repeater, rescuer, resister, restrainer, rich person, right hander, right-hander, righthander, riser, ruler, runaway, rusher, sagittarius, saver, scholar, scientist, scorpio, scorpion, scourge, scrapper, searcher, second-rater, seeker, selector, self, shaker, showman, signatory, signer, simple, simpleton, six-footer, skidder, skin, skinhead, slave, slayer, slider, slipper, social dancer, sort, southpaw, sphinx, spoiler, sport, straight, straight person, stranger, subject, substance abuser, succeeder, success, survivor, suspect, swayer, sweater, taurus, technologist, terror, thirster, threat, thrower, tiger, topper, transexual, transfer, transferee, transgendered, transsexual, transvestite, traveler, traveller, trier, turner, twin, tyrant, undoer, unfastener, unfortunate, unfortunate person, untier, unusual person, user, venturer, victim, victorian, virgin, virgo, visionary, waiter, walk-in, ward, warrior, watcher, water bearer, wealthy person, weasel, white, white person, wight, winner, witness, worker, yearner, zombi, zombie

the human embodiment of something

同义词集: soul

the soul of honor

上位: embodiment

a secular form of gospel that was a major Black musical genre in the 1960s and 1970s

同义词集: soul

soul was politically significant during the Civil Rights movement

上位: gospel, gospel singing

deep feeling or emotion

同义词集: soul soulfulness

上位: feeling

the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life

同义词集: soul psyche

上位: spirit 下位: ghost

🌳 词源

名词来自古英语，原义与“灵魂、生命、精神、存在”有关；动词的“供养、喂饱”义则借自法语，和名词来源不同。

From Middle English soule, sowle, saule, sawle, from Old English sāwol (“soul, life, spirit, being”), from Proto-West Germanic *saiwalu, from Proto-Germanic *saiwalō (“soul”), of an uncertain ultimate origin (see there for further information). Cognates Cognate with Scots saul, sowel (“soul”), Saterland Frisian Seele (“soul”), West Frisian siel (“soul”), Alemannic German Seel (“soul”), Central Franconian Siel (“soul”), Dutch ziel (“soul”), German Seele (“soul”), German Low German Seel (“soul”), Luxembourgish Séil (“soul, spirit”), Vilamovian zejł, zəjł, zyił (“soul”), Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌰𐌻𐌰 (saiwala, “soul”). Scandinavian homonyms seem to have been borrowed from Old Saxon sēola. Modern Danish sjæl (“soul”), Icelandic sál (“soul”), Norwegian Bokmål sjel (“soul”), Norwegian Nynorsk sjel, sål (“soul”), Swedish själ (“soul”), Finnish sielu (“soul”) may have come from Old English sāwol.

🔄 变式

souled past souling present souls plural

🏷 单词标签 & 词根