spirit; elf; clever
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesnoun
spirit; elf; goblin; supernatural being
literaryRefers to mythical creatures, often with magical powers. Can be neutral or sometimes mischievous. Common in fantasy contexts.
Gǔ古
lǎo老
de的
sēn森
lín林
lǐ里
jù据
shuō说
zhù住
zhe着
shén神
mì秘
de的
jīng精
líng灵
。
Mysterious elves are said to live in the ancient forest.
Zhè这
ge个
gù故
shì事
lǐ里
，
jīng精
líng灵
bāng帮
zhù助
le了
shàn善
liáng良
de的
gōng公
zhǔ主
。
In this story, a spirit helped the kind princess.
Show 1 more exampleShow fewer examples
Tā他
shì是
shuǐ水
zhōng中
de的
jīng精
líng灵
，
lái来
qù去
wú无
zōng踪
。
He is a water spirit, coming and going without a trace.
adjective
clever; smart; quick-witted
dialectDescribes someone, especially a child, who is perceptive and learns quickly. This sense is marked as dialectal (方言) in the source, but it's widely understood in modern usage.
Zhè这
hái孩
zi子
zhēn真
jīng精
líng灵
，
yī一
shuō说
jiù就
míng明
bai白
le了
。
This child is really clever; he understood as soon as it was explained.
Tā他
yǎn眼
zhū珠
yī一
zhuàn转
，
jīng精
líng灵
de得
hěn很
，
mǎ马
shàng上
xiǎng想
chū出
le了
bàn办
fǎ法
。
His eyes darted around; he's very sharp and immediately thought of a solution.
Show 1 more exampleShow fewer examples
Bié别
kàn看
tā他
nián年
jì纪
xiǎo小
，
zuò做
shì事
kě可
jīng精
líng灵
le了
。
Don't let his young age fool you; he's very smart when it comes to doing things.