TongTong
Sign in

鬼魅 (guǐ mèi) — (literary) ghosts and spirits; (figurative) evil forces; wicked influences

Definition

Literary word for ghosts and spirits, and by extension dark, sinister forces. Use it in written or narrative contexts — not in everyday speech about actual people.

noun
(literary) ghosts and spirits(figurative) evil forceswicked influences

Examples

  • 鬼魅。
    Zhè ge gǔ lǎo de chuán shuō zhōng chōng mǎn le gè zhǒng guǐ mèi.
    This ancient legend is full of all kinds of ghosts and spirits.
  • 鬼魅。
    Shè huì shàng de mǒu xiē hēi àn shì lì jiù xiàng guǐ mèi yí yàng hài rén.
    Certain dark forces in society harm people just like evil spirits.
  • 鬼魅。
    Xiǎo shuō lǐ miáo xiě le yí gè bèi guǐ mèi lǒng zhào de shì jiè.
    The novel describes a world shrouded by evil forces.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

鬼guǐghost
魅mèispirit

鬼 and 魅 combine to mean ghosts and spirits.

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
鬼鬼guǐspirit
Sound part声符shēngfú
未
未wèi魅mèi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

魅 is built from 鬼, a spirit, and 未, which gives the character its sound.

Open 魅 →
Appears in
Mythology & Folklore

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.