(literary) soul; mortal soul (i.e. attached to the body)

white (白) + ghost (鬼) = the soul tethered to the body

鬼 anchors the meaning: this is the soul-component of a person, the animating spirit bound to the body. 白 mainly contributes the sound pò; the ghost radical carries the weight of meaning.

+
WhitePhonetic
GhostSemantic

古人相信人有魂也有

gǔ rén xiāng xìn rén yǒu hún yě yǒu pò。

Ancient people believed that a person has both a spirit-soul and a body-soul.

他死后,据说还留在身体里一段时间。

tā sǐ hòu, jù shuō pò hái liú zài shēn tǐ lǐ yī duàn shí jiān。

After he died, it is said that the mortal soul remained in the body for a period of time.

Words with 魄

惊心动魄

jīng xīn dòng pò

(idiom) heart-stopping; hair-raising; breathtaking

体魄

tǐ pò

physique; build

魂飞魄散

hún fēi pò sàn

lit. the soul flies away and scatters (idiom)

魂魄

hún pò

soul

魄力

pò lì

courage

丽魄

lì pò

moon

七魄

qī pò

seven mortal forms in Daoism, representing carnal life and desires

三魂七魄

sān hún qī pò

three immortal souls and seven mortal forms in Daoism, contrasting the spiritual and carnal side of man

丢魂落魄

diū hún luò pò

see 失魂落魄[shi1 hun2 luo4 po4]

丹魄

dān pò

amber

动人心魄

dòng rén xīn pò

(idiom) breathtaking

动魄

dòng pò

shocking; shattering

More characters with 白