妖魔 (yāo mó) — evil spirit, demon

Definition

A literary term for 'evil spirit, demon,' drawn from Chinese folklore. More mythic and written than the everyday 鬼 (ghost); often used for monstrous, shape-shifting beings in legends and fiction.

noun
evil spiritdemon
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，妖魔。
    Chuán shuō zhōng, zhè zuò shān shàng zhù zhe xǔ duō yāo mó.
    In legend, many demons live on this mountain.
  • 妖魔。
    Diàn yǐng lǐ de yāo mó xíng xiàng fēi cháng kě pà.
    The demon image in the movie is very scary.
  • 妖魔。
    Tā xiàng yāo mó yí yàng xiōng.
    He is as fierce as a demon.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

妖yāodemon
魔módemon

“妖” and “魔” both refer to supernatural or evil beings, so together they mean a demon or evil spirit.

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
女女nǚ
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.

Open 妖 →

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 →
Appears in
Mythology & Folklore

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