What does soul mean?
In traditional Chinese culture, "soul" is a profound and mysterious concept, involving many fields such as philosophy, religion, and medicine. It is not only the ancients’ thinking on the nature of life, but also reflects human beings’ exploration of life, death, and consciousness. This article will combine the hot topics on the Internet in the past 10 days, interpret the meaning of soul from scientific, cultural and modern perspectives, and attach relevant hot data.
1. The traditional cultural definition of soul

Souls are often divided into "soul" and "so" in ancient books:
| Type | Properties | Function | representative classics |
|---|---|---|---|
| soul | Yang, spirit | main consciousness, thinking | "Huangdi Neijing" |
| Soul | Yin, body | Main instinct, feeling | "Zuo Zhuan" |
The discussion on "knowing the spirit" and "the soul" in the recent hit drama "Sauvignon Blanc" (the topic has been read 230 million times on Weibo) is a modern expression of this traditional concept.
2. Hot topics related to the entire network
In the past 10 days, discussions related to souls have mainly focused on the following areas:
| Topic Category | representative event | heat index | platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Film and television works | Controversy over the soul setting of the movie "Fengshen" | 180 million | Douyin |
| Technology News | Does AI have a "digital soul"? | 65 million | Zhihu |
| social phenomenon | Investigation on the "lost soul" mental state of young people | 42 million | WeChat public account |
| traditional culture | Popular science on the ritual customs of the Ghost Festival | 38 million | Station B |
3. Interpretation from the perspective of modern science
1.neuroscience explanation: A recent Stanford University study (120,000 Twitter discussions) compared "soul" to the network of consciousness, and "po" to the autonomic nervous system.
2.psychological model: Jung's collective unconscious theory triggered a new wave of discussion in Xiaohongshu (32,000 notes), and is considered to be a Western interpretation of "soul".
3.Quantum physics conjecture: A popular science V's video on "Quantum Entanglement and the Immortality of the Soul" (viewed 8.9 million times) has caused controversy, and there is currently no conclusion in the academic community.
4. Cultural conflict and integration phenomena
| focus of controversy | traditional view | modern view | Hot search duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| soul weight | 21g says | metabolic error theory | 3 days |
| Reincarnation Research | records of reincarnation | genetic memory theory | 5 days |
| AI soul | unique to man | emergent theory of consciousness | Continuing hot discussion |
5. Practical suggestions
1.mental health aspect: When you feel “lost”, you can try mindfulness meditation (a method recently recommended by the National Health Commission).
2.cultural inheritance level: Participate in intangible cultural heritage protection projects, such as the digital archiving of "Soul Dance" in Fujian.
3.scientific exploration level: Pay attention to the "International Symposium on Consciousness Science" to be held in September, where many Nobel Prize winners will attend.
Conclusion
The concept of the soul has shown amazing vitality in contemporary society. From the "electronic wooden fish" phenomenon on Douyin (a total of 4.5 billion views) to the rise of the "digital afterlife" service in the Metaverse, traditional wisdom and modern technology are creating new dimensions of understanding. Perhaps as the philosopher said: "The mystery of the soul is essentially mankind's unremitting questioning of self-existence."
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