鬼 (guǐ) - Ghost, spirit, demon & supernatural being

鬼Tone 3

guǐ ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical:

枫惠

鬼 · guǐ

Ghost, spirit, demon;

supernatural being;

clever, crafty;

used to describe something mysterious or elusive.

Ghost, spirit, demonsupernatural beingclever, crafty

Usage highlights

GhostGhost storyHaunted houseGhost festivalDemon kingCunning person

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • 神— god, deity
  • 人— human being
  • 仙— immortal, celestial being

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He told a ghost story (鬼故事).
  • That child is very clever (鬼精灵).
  • There is a haunted house (鬼屋) in that village.
  • He has a ghostwriter (鬼笔) for his novels.

Collocations

  • Ghost(鬼)
  • Ghost story(鬼故事)
  • Haunted house(鬼屋)
  • Ghost festival(鬼节)
  • Demon king(鬼王)
  • Cunning person(鬼才)

Idioms

  • Ghosts and gods(鬼神)
  • Ghosts and monsters(鬼怪)
  • Ghosts crying and wolves howling(鬼哭狼嚎)
  • Not human, not ghost(人不人鬼不鬼)
  • Ghost head and ghost brain(鬼头鬼脑)
  • What a ghost knows(鬼才知道)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In Chinese folk religion, ghosts (鬼) are spirits of the deceased that have not been properly appeased or have met unnatural deaths.
  • The Ghost Festival (鬼节) on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month is when ghosts are believed to visit the living world.
  • The character appears in Daoist and Buddhist texts describing various classes of supernatural beings.
  • In modern usage, 鬼 can describe someone very clever or cunning, as in 机灵鬼 (smart aleck).

FAQ