妖气 (yāo qì) — sinister aura, eerie atmosphere | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

An eerie, sinister 'aura' or atmosphere — usually given off by a place, person, or scene that feels uncanny or evil. Less physical than 气氛, and carries a supernatural or menacing tone.

noun

sinister auraeerie atmosphere

Examples

妖气。
Zhè dòng lǎo fáng zi gěi rén yì zhǒng yāo qì de gǎn jué.
This old house gives people a feeling of a sinister aura.
，妖气。
Tā biǎo qíng guǐ yì, shēn shàng dài zhe yì gǔ yāo qì.
His expression was strange, and he carried an eerie aura.
妖气。
Zhè ge shān dòng lǐ mí màn zhe nóng zhòng de yāo qì.
This cave was filled with a thick, sinister aura.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

妖 points to demon or strange evil, and 气 gives the sense of an aura, forming a sinister atmosphere.

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.

女夭妖

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

夭

夭yāo妖yāo

Same sound today

妖 is built from 女 (woman) and 夭; the 女 part relates to the meaning, while 夭 gives the sound.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

气米氣

Meaning part形符xíngfú

米米mǐrice

Sound part声符shēngfú

气

气qì氣qì

Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

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