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魔怪 (mó guài) — demons and monsters; fiendish creatures (literal or figurative)

Definition

Literary compound for evil supernatural beings — demons, monsters, fiends. Stricter and more formal than the everyday 妖怪, with a stronger sense of malevolence and used mainly in writing or classical-style stories.

noun
demons and monstersfiendish creatures (literal or figurative)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 魔怪，。
    Zhè ge gù shi lǐ yǒu hěn duō mó guài, fēi cháng kě pà.
    There are many demons and monsters in this story; they are very frightening.
  • 魔怪，。
    Tā xiàng mó guài yí yàng cán rěn, dà jiā dōu pà tā.
    He is as cruel as a fiend, and everyone is afraid of him.
  • ，魔怪。
    Gǔ dài chuán shuō zhōng, mó guài cháng bèi yīng xióng dǎ bài.
    In ancient legends, demons and monsters are often defeated by heroes.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

魔módemon
怪guàimonster

“魔” means demon and “怪” means monster, together giving demons and monsters.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
鬼鬼guǐdemon
Sound part声符shēngfú
麻
麻má魔mó
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

魔 pairs 鬼, meaning demon, with 麻, which gives the sound.

Open 魔 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
忄Written in full as心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
圣
圣shèng怪guài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

怪 is built from 忄, a form of 心, which relates to mind or feeling, and 圣, which gives the sound.

Open 怪 →
Appears in
Mythology & Folklore

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