metempsychosis

/mə-ˌtem(p)-si-ˈkō-səs ˌme-təm-ˌsī-/ (ame, mw)

metempsychosis — noun

1. the belief or philosophical idea that when a person or animal dies, their soul m

1.名詞C2
釋義

the belief or philosophical idea that when a person or animal dies, their soul moves into the body of another living thing — a human, an animal, or even a plant — and begins a new existence there.

例句

The old teacher said metempsychosis means the soul goes to a new body after death.

uncountable noun without article in a general statement

Kwame learned about metempsychosis from an old book his grandmother gave him.

同義詞
  • reincarnation

    the more common and broader term; reincarnation is often specifically human rebirth, while metempsychosis more explicitly allows animal or plant bodies

  • transmigration of souls

    a fuller, equivalent phrase; more transparent in meaning but equally formal

  • rebirth

    the simplest and most general word; lacks the formal/philosophical tone of metempsychosis

反義詞
  • annihilationism

    the belief that the soul is completely destroyed at death, with no continuation

文法句型

theory / doctrine / idea + of metempsychosis

believe in + metempsychosis

用法筆記

Formal register — most commonly encountered in academic writing about ancient Greek philosophy or comparative religion. Unlike the broader term 'reincarnation,' which can refer to any rebirth (often as a human), metempsychosis specifically emphasises the soul's passage between different species, including animals and sometimes plants.

常見錯誤

❌I believe in metempsychosis of the soul.
✅I believe in metempsychosis.
💡The word metempsychosis already contains the idea of the soul's movement; adding 'of the soul' is redundant.
❌His metempsychosis happened after he died.
✅According to the idea of metempsychosis, his soul entered a new body after he died.
💡Metempsychosis is the doctrine itself, not a single event for one person.