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liánhéSide by side

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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