1.soul用作名词时的基本意思是“灵魂,精华”,是可数名词。引申还可表示“高尚情操,热情,感情,精神”,作此解时是不可数名词,其前不加任何冠词。
2.soul还可作“人,家伙”解,指有精神与灵魂的人,常带有褒义。
3.soul也可作“精髓,精华; 中心人物”解,主要指集体的骨干或精神支柱或某事物最好的部分,引申还可作“典型”解,常与介词of连用。soul of在be后作表语时, soul前面通常要加定冠词the。

be a good soul
做个好人或好孩子 be a good child
Be a good soul and leave me alone.做个好孩子,让我清静一下。

call one's soul one's own
有行动自由,不受别人支配 not be controlled by other people
The child doesn't call his soul his own.这孩子自己做不了主。
You'd never have been able to call your soul your own if she'd married you.假如她和你结了婚,你一定受她支配。

Does the soul live forever?灵魂能够永存吗?
Her body died but her soul went to heaven.她的肉体虽已死亡,但她的灵魂却升入天堂。
They said a prayer for the souls of the men who had been drowned in the storm.他们为那些在暴风雨中淹死的人的灵魂祈祷。
Discipline is the soul of an army.纪律是军队的灵魂。
They say that hardship is good for the soul.他们说艰难困苦对心灵有益。
Most old overseas Chinese keep in the depth of their souls a longing for their motherland.多数老华侨深深怀念祖国。
She has a soul above material pleasures.她有一种不追求物质享受的精神。
He worked for the company with his whole soul.他全心全意地为那个公司工作。
He loved her with his heart and soul.他一心一意地爱着她。
“I pledge you, with all my soul,”said I, filling my glass to the brim.“我真心真意地向你保证”,我一面说,一面斟满我的酒杯。
Your writings lack soul.你的作品缺乏魄力。
Not a soul was to be seen.看不见一个人。
I swear I will never tell a soul.我发誓决不告诉任何人。
She was a dear old soul.她是一位可爱的老人。
The ship sank with 200 souls.那艘船载着200人沉没了。
Brevity is the soul of English.简洁是英语的精华。
Celerity is the soul of warfare.兵贵神速。
He is the soul of the army.他是这支部队的中心人物。
He was the life and soul of the enterprise.他是该企业的核心人物。
He is the soul of honor.他是荣誉的典型。
Your secret's safe with him, he's the soul of discretion.他会严守你的秘密,他是谨慎的化身。

soul, mind, spirit
参见mind条。

他没有足够的食物来维持生命。
［误］  He has hardly enough food to keep body and a soul together.
［误］  He has hardly enough food to keep body and the soul together.
［正］  He has hardly enough food to keep body and soul together.
［析］  body and soul是固定短语,意为“生命”, soul前不可加冠词。

［同义词］   mind, spirit, body, man
［词源］  ＜古英语sawol＜古高地德语seula (灵魂)