祅 (yāo) - Evil spirit & demon

祅Tone 1

yāo ｜ 8 strokes ｜ radical: 礻

嬿一

祅 · yāo

Evil spirit;

demon;

supernatural calamity;

ancient term for unnatural or ominous phenomena.

Evil spiritdemonsupernatural calamity

Usage highlights

evil spiritsupernatural calamitydemonic phenomenonevil monsterominous signdemonic fire

Synonyms

  • 妖— demon; evil spirit
  • 魔— devil; demon
  • 鬼— ghost; spirit

Antonyms

  • 神— deity; god
  • 仙— immortal; celestial being

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Ancient texts mention calamities caused by evil spirits (祅灾).
  • The character appears in classical literature describing supernatural events (祅异).
  • Some historical records attribute natural disasters to demonic influence (祅怪).

Collocations

  • evil spirit(祅神)
  • supernatural calamity(祅灾)
  • demonic phenomenon(祅异)
  • evil monster(祅怪)
  • ominous sign(祅兆)
  • demonic fire(祅火)

Idioms

  • Demonic spirits causing calamities(祅灾异怪)
  • Evil spirits and strange phenomena(祅异怪诞)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In ancient Chinese belief, 祅 referred to evil spirits or demons that could cause unnatural disasters.
  • The character was often used in classical texts to explain inexplicable calamities or ominous signs.
  • It differs from 妖 which has broader meanings including seductive or bewitching, while 祅 specifically denotes evil supernatural entities.

FAQ