妖魔鬼怪 (yāo mó guǐ guài) — evil spirits of every kind; all sorts of demons and monsters; (figurative) evil forces; wicked people

Definition

A chengyu-style four-character idiom literally naming four types of demons (妖, 魔, 鬼, 怪), used as a collective for all evil spirits, and by extension all wicked people or forces.

idiom
evil spirits of every kindall sorts of demons and monsters(figurative) evil forceswicked people

Examples

  • 妖魔鬼怪。
    Zhè bù xiǎo shuō lǐ yǒu hěn duō yāo mó guǐ guài.
    There are many evil spirits in this novel.
  • 妖魔鬼怪。
    Wǒ men yào jǐng tì shè huì shàng de gè zhǒng yāo mó guǐ guài.
    We must be vigilant against all kinds of evil forces in society.
  • ，妖魔鬼怪。
    Shén huà gù shi zhōng, yāo mó guǐ guài cháng cháng bèi dǎ bài.
    In mythological stories, evil spirits are often defeated.

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.

妖魔demon
妖yāodemon魔módemon
联合Side by side
鬼怪ghost and monster
鬼guǐghost怪guàimonster
联合Side by side

妖, 魔, 鬼, and 怪 all refer to supernatural beings, giving all kinds of 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
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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

鬼 originally drew a kneeling figure with an ugly face, perhaps a mask; the small lower right dot is a later added tail.

Open 鬼 →

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 →

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