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Realms, breakthroughs and power

Day 2 of 15~12 minThe vocabulary of training and levelling up
Pinyin help
Tone colours
修炼 · 灵力 · 境界 · 突破

Every cultivation story is a ladder of power, and the words for climbing it turn up in nearly every episode. They also leak back into ordinary speech: 突破 and 境界 are real words people use about exams, work and sport.

Training and power

Four words carry most of the plot.

修炼
xiūliàn
to cultivate, to train
The core verb: characters 修炼 in seclusion for years. Outside the genre, to hone a skill through long practice.
灵力
línglì
spiritual power
The energy the whole system runs on. Some stories say 灵气 língqì, spiritual energy in the air.
境界
jìngjiè
realm, level
Each stage of power is a 境界. In real life, a level of understanding or skill.
突破
tūpò
to break through
Moving up a realm. Real Chinese uses it for any breakthrough: 技术突破, a technical breakthrough.
Why it works

Someone 修炼s, gathers 灵力, reaches a new 境界 and 突破s to the next. Because 境界 and 突破 are ordinary words as well, learning them here pays off in the news and at work.

After months in seclusion

A disciple reports to the master. Listen for the power words.

Master
你的修为进步了。
nǐ de xiūwéi jìnbù le.
Your cultivation has improved.
修为, your level, is the noun you have; 修炼 is the doing.
Disciple
弟子已经突破到第三层了。
dìzǐ yǐjīng tūpò dào dì sān céng le.
I have already broken through to the third level.
弟子 about yourself, from day 1.
Master
不要骄傲，你的灵力还不稳定。
bú yào jiāo'ào, nǐ de línglì hái bù wěndìng.
Do not be proud. Your power is not stable yet.
Disciple
是，师父。弟子明白。
shì, shīfu. dìzǐ míngbai.
Yes, Master. I understand.
是 is the respectful yes to an instruction.
Why it works

Only 修为 and 灵力 are genre words. 进步 (improve), 已经 (already), 骄傲 (proud), 稳定 (stable) and 明白 (understand) are everyday Chinese. Most of a fantasy script is ordinary Chinese in costume.

Real life borrows these words

The same words, outside the story.

A breakthrough
In the story
他突破到第四层了。
tā tūpò dào dì sì céng le.
In real life
我们的研究有了突破。
wǒmen de yánjiū yǒule tūpò.
Same verb, same meaning. The story only adds the levels.
A realm, a level
In the story
他的境界比你高。
tā de jìngjiè bǐ nǐ gāo.
In real life
这是很高的境界。
zhè shì hěn gāo de jìngjiè.
Said as praise, of a musician, a writer or a cook.
Training
In the story
他闭关修炼了十年。
tā bìguān xiūliàn le shí nián.
In real life
我在修炼我的中文。
wǒ zài xiūliàn wǒ de Zhōngwén.
Said with a smile. It borrows the grandeur on purpose, the way levelling up does in English.
Why it works

The genre did not invent these words. It took them from the language, and they still work back in it, which is what makes fantasy vocabulary worth the time.

Why the stages have names

The names of the stages (练气 liànqì, refining energy; 筑基 zhùjī, building a foundation; 金丹 jīndān, the golden core) come from Daoist inner alchemy, which described refining the body's energy step by step. Stories change the list, but nearly all of them have named stages.

Carry over, from earlier days
师父
shīfu
master
师兄
shīxiōng
senior brother
弟子
dìzǐ
disciple

8 questions. Get 5 right to finish the day.

  1. 突破 means…

    • to rest
    • to fall back
    • to fight
    • to break through
    Show the answer

    to break through Up a realm in the story, a breakthrough in the news.

  2. 修炼 is closest to…

    • training through long practice
    • travelling
    • fighting
    • repairing something
    Show the answer

    training through long practice The core verb of the genre.

  3. Which word also turns up in ordinary news?

    • 灵力 línglì
    • 突破 tūpò
    • 修为 xiūwéi
    • 道友 dàoyǒu
    Show the answer

    突破 The other three belong to the genre.

  4. In 你的修为进步了, 修为 is…

    • your teacher
    • your sect
    • your weapon
    • your cultivation level
    Show the answer

    your cultivation level What you have after 修炼.

  5. Type the pinyin for 境界.

    Show the answer

    jìngjiè Both syllables are fourth tone.

  6. Why does a disciple say 弟子 to the master rather than 我?

    • it is rude
    • it means we
    • it is a humble way to refer to yourself
    • it means master
    Show the answer

    it is a humble way to refer to yourself Naming yourself by your role is modest, from day 1.

  7. 我在修炼我的中文 means…

    • I am testing my Chinese
    • I am teaching Chinese
    • I am honing my Chinese
    • I am forgetting my Chinese
    Show the answer

    I am honing my Chinese A playful, grand way to say you are practising.

  8. Type the Chinese or pinyin for already.

    Show the answer

    yǐjīng 已经…了 is already done.

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