精怪 (jīng guài) — supernatural being; spirit (often an animal or object that has become sentient); monster in Chinese folklore

Definition

A 精怪 is a spirit or monster in Chinese folklore — usually an animal (or even an object) that has cultivated supernatural powers. Unlike raw 鬼 (ghost of a dead person), a 精怪 is often a shapeshifting being tied to nature.

noun
supernatural beingspirit (often an animal or object that has become sentient)monster in Chinese folklore
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 《》精怪，。
    《Xī yóu jì》 lǐ yǒu hěn duō jīng guài, bǐ rú bái gǔ jīng hé zhī zhū jīng.
    Journey to the West has many spirits, such as the White Bone Demon and the Spider Spirit.
  • ，精怪。
    Mín jiān chuán shuō zhōng, hú li xiū liàn chéng jīng guài de gù shi tè bié duō.
    In folk tales, stories of foxes cultivating into spirits are especially common.
  • ，精怪。
    Tā xiě de qí huàn xiǎo shuō lǐ, jīng guài hé rén lèi yì qǐ shēng huó.
    In the fantasy novel he wrote, spirits live together with humans.

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.

精jīngspirit
怪guàimonster

精, meaning spirit, and 怪, meaning monster, stand side by side for supernatural beings.

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
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
青
青qīng精jīng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

精 pairs 米 (rice) with 青, which gives the sound; the character originally meant polished rice.

Open 精 →

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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