Definition
鬼祟 is a stative verb (s.v.) describing behavior that is sneaky, furtive, or underhanded — like someone moving or acting in a way that suggests they are hiding something. It can also refer, in older or superstitious contexts, to misfortune caused by ghosts or evil spirits. In modern Chinese the first sense is far more common; you'll often see it in the four-character phrase 鬼鬼祟祟 (guǐ guǐ suì suì), which means 'sneaky; stealthy'.
s.v.
stealthyfurtivesneaky(archaic) misfortune or calamity brought by evil spirits
Examples
- ，鬼祟。Tā shuōhuà shí yǎnshén duǒshǎn, xiǎnde shífēn guǐ suì.His eyes darted away when he spoke, making him look very furtive.
- 鬼祟。Nàge guǐ suì de shēnyǐng zài qiángjiǎo yì shǎn jiù bújiàn le.That sneaky figure flashed around the corner and disappeared.
- 鬼祟。Gǔrén rènwéi chùfàn shénlíng huì zhāolái guǐ suì.Ancient people believed that offending the gods would bring misfortune from spirits.
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