瘟神

wēnshén

noun #33,277

Measure Word

一个瘟神 gè

Meanings

1 plague god
2 demon personifying pestilence
3 (figurative) a jinx, a person bringing bad luck or trouble

Characters

epidemic, plague

Examples

HSK 5

大家把他当瘟神一样躲。

Dàjiā bǎ tā dāng wēnshén yīyàng duǒ.

Everyone avoids him like the plague.

HSK 7-9

古人会祭祀瘟神祈求平安。

Gǔrén huì jìsì wēnshén qíqiú píng'ān.

Ancient people would offer sacrifices to the plague god to pray for safety.

HSK 7-9

他一来，事情就出岔子，简直是个瘟神。

Tā yì lái, shìqing jiù chū chàzi, jiǎnzhí shì gè wēnshén.

Whenever he shows up, something goes wrong - he's a total jinx.

Tips

culture

In Chinese folk religion, 瘟神 refers to spirits that spread disease - most famously the 五瘟使者 (Five Plague Emissaries) who each governed a season. Traditional 送瘟神 ('see off the plague god') rituals at the end of festivals were meant to drive disease out of the village. Mao Zedong's 1958 poem 《送瘟神》 used the image to celebrate the campaign against schistosomiasis.

usage

Colloquially, calling someone a 瘟神 means they bring bad luck wherever they go - closer to English 'jinx' or 'walking disaster' than to the literal demonic sense.

Stroke Order

瘟 wēn

神 shén