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神出鬼没 (shén chū guǐ mò) — (idiom) to appear and disappear mysteriously; elusive; (idiom) unpredictable; stealthy

Definition

A chengyu describing someone or something that appears and vanishes without warning, like a ghost — used for elusive people, stealthy movements, or unpredictable events.

idiom
to appear and disappear mysteriouslyelusiveunpredictablestealthy

Examples

  • 神出鬼没，。
    Nà ge xiǎo tōu shén chū guǐ mò, jǐng chá hěn nán zhuā dào tā.
    That thief appears and disappears mysteriously, making it hard for the police to catch him.
  • 神出鬼没，。
    Tā zài zhàn chǎng shàng shén chū guǐ mò, dí rén gēn běn zhǎo bú dào tā de wèi zhì.
    He moves like a shadow on the battlefield; the enemy can't find his position at all.
  • 神出鬼没，。
    Zhè wèi zuò jiā de xíng zōng shén chū guǐ mò, hěn shǎo yǒu rén zhī dào tā zài nǎ lǐ.
    This writer's whereabouts are mysterious; very few people know where he is.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

神出spirit appears
神shénspirit出chūappear
主谓Subject + predicate
鬼没ghost hides
鬼guǐghost没méidisappear
主谓Subject + predicate

“神出” and “鬼没” picture spirits appearing and ghosts hiding, giving an elusive sense.

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
示示shìgod; deity
Sound part声符shēngfú
申
申shēn神shén
Same sound today

The older form 申 drew lightning, which the ancients regarded as divine; 神 adds 示 (god/deity) to mark that meaning.

Open 神 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

出 combines 止 (foot) and 凵 (cave) to show a foot stepping out of a cave.

Open 出 →

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 沒; 没 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠬛
𠬛𠬛沒mò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 沒 pairs 水 (water) with 𠬛 as a sound part; this note is about 沒, not the simplified 没.

Open 没 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

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