祲 (jìn) - ominous aura & baleful influence
祲 · jìn
ominous aura;
baleful influence;
evil vapors or atmospheric phenomena believed to portend calamity or disaster
ominous aurabaleful influenceevil vapors or atmospheric phenomena believed to portend
Usage highlights
ominous aurabaleful vaporsevil influencedisaster portentexorcise evil vaporsauspicious and inauspicious
Usage & contexts
Examples
- The ancient texts recorded ominous signs (祲象).
- The shaman interpreted the baleful vapors (祲气).
- They performed rituals to dispel the evil influence (祲氛).
- The astrologer warned of impending disaster (祲兆).
Collocations
- ominous aura(祲氛)
- baleful vapors(祲气)
- evil influence(祲象)
- disaster portent(祲兆)
- exorcise evil vapors(禳祲)
- auspicious and inauspicious(休祲)
Idioms
- Auspicious and ominous signs(休祲之兆)
- Heavenly portents and earthly calamities(天祲地变)
- Observing vapors to predict fortune(望祲知福)
Cultural background
FAQ- In ancient Chinese cosmology, 祲 referred to atmospheric phenomena or vapors believed to indicate heavenly displeasure or impending disaster.
- Court astronomers/diviners were tasked with observing and interpreting 祲 to advise rulers on state affairs.
- The concept reflects the traditional belief in the correlation between celestial phenomena and human events (天人感应).