銷魂

銷魂

1. to be overwhelmed with sorrow or joy; to be absent-minded due to extreme sadness, distress or joy

   • 怕黃昏忽地又黃昏，不銷魂怎地不銷魂。
     新啼痕壓舊啼痕，斷腸人憶斷腸人。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
     怕黄昏忽地又黄昏，不销魂怎地不销魂。
     新啼痕压旧啼痕，断肠人忆断肠人。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]

     From: circa 1300?, 王實甫 (Wang Shifu),《十二月過堯民歌•別情》, translated as From A Year's End to Folklore: Parting Grief by Xu Yuanchong

     Pà huánghūn hūde yòu huánghūn, bù xiāohún zěnde bù xiāohún.
     Xīn tíhén yā jiù tíhén, duàncháng rén yì duàncháng rén. [Pinyin]

     The dim twilight I fear will often reappear.
     O how can my soul lost be found at any cost?
     The new cannot efface the old tear-shedding trace;
     One broken heart yearns for the other kept apart.