鬼神 (guǐ shén) — ghosts and spirits; supernatural beings (in Chinese folk religion and culture)

Definition

A collective term for the ghosts (鬼) and spirits/deities (神) of Chinese folk religion — the unseen beings traditionally believed to influence the human world. Used mainly in cultural, literary, and historical discussion, not everyday speech.

noun
ghosts and spiritssupernatural beings (in Chinese folk religion and culture)

Examples

  • 鬼神。
    Tā bù xiāng xìn guǐ shén de cún zài.
    He doesn't believe in the existence of ghosts and spirits.
  • 鬼神。
    Zhè ge cūn zi liú chuán zhe xǔ duō guān yú guǐ shén de gù shi.
    Many stories about ghosts and spirits have been passed down in this village.
  • 鬼神。
    Gǔ dài rén wǎng wǎng bǎ zì rán xiàn xiàng guī yīn yú guǐ shén.
    Ancient people often attributed natural phenomena to ghosts and spirits.

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.

鬼guǐghost
神shénspirit

鬼 refers to ghosts and 神 to spirits, so the pair names supernatural beings.

Characters in this word

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
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 →

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