TongTong
Sign in

魅 (mèi) — (bound form) attractive, charming; (bound form) evil spirit, demon

Definition

魅 (mèi) is a bound morpheme that almost always forms compounds like 魅力 (charm/appeal) or 鬼魅 (demon/evil spirit). On its own it carries both senses: 'attractive/charming' and 'demon.'

bound form
attractivecharmingevil spiritdemon

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā de mèi lì hěn dà, dà jiā dōu hěn xǐ huan tā.
    Her charm is great, and everyone likes her a lot.
  • 魅。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng lǐ de mèi huò chǎng jǐng hěn kǒng bù.
    The enchanting scenes in this movie are very scary.
  • 。
    Gǔ dài chuán shuō zhōng yǒu hěn duō guǐ mèi de gù shi.
    In ancient legends, there are many stories of demons and spirits.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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.

Appears in
AppearanceMythology & Folklore

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