sphinx
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sphinx
A mythical creature from mythology, usually with the body of a lion and the head of a human. The best-known one is the Great Sphinx of Giza in Egypt.
Touristen aus aller Welt bewundern die majestätische Sphinx in der ägyptischen Wüste.
Tourists from all over the world admire the majestic Sphinx in the Egyptian desert.
The figurative meaning of a mysterious person derives from the 'Rätsel der Sphinx' (riddle of the Sphinx) in Greek mythology. The Sphinx posed a riddle to travelers and killed those who could not solve it. Therefore, it symbolically represents what is mysterious and inscrutable.
Nur Ödipus konnte das berühmte Rätsel der Sphinx lösen.
Only Oedipus could solve the famous riddle of the Sphinx.
The meaning 'rätselhafte Person' (mysterious person) is a metaphor. You can recognize it from the fact that someone is talking about a person. The literal meaning, by contrast, refers to mythology, art history, or archaeology.
Mein neuer Chef ist eine echte Sphinx, niemand weiß, was er denkt.
My new boss is a real sphinx; no one knows what he is thinking.
When a person is described as a 'Sphinx' (sphinx), it is a figurative description. The quality is often reinforced with adjectives such as 'rätselhaft' (mysterious), 'geheimnisvoll' (secretive/mysterious), or 'undurchschaubar' (inscrutable).
Sie gab keine Antwort und blickte uns nur an wie eine rätselhafte Sphinx.
She gave no answer and just looked at us like a mysterious sphinx.
riddle / mystery
'Rätsel' and 'Sphinx' can both have to do with something mysterious. 'Rätsel' means a thing, situation, or person that is difficult to understand. In a figurative sense, 'Sphinx' means a particularly enigmatic person whose thoughts or feelings are barely recognizable. The words are not simply interchangeable: 'Rätsel' is much more general, while 'Sphinx' sounds more figurative and stronger. Learners may confuse them because you can say about a person that they are a mystery or that they seem like a sphinx.
Bei dem Gespräch blieb sie eine Sphinx und verriet nichts über ihre Pläne.
During the conversation, she remained a sphinx and revealed nothing about her plans.
Sein plötzliches Schweigen war für das ganze Team ein Rätsel.
His sudden silence was a mystery to the whole team.