guǐ
noun HSK 5 #745

Meanings

  1. 1 ghost; spirit; devil
  2. 2 (suffix) person with a particular vice or trait
  3. 3 sly; crafty; damned (as an adjective)

Examples

Nǐ xiāngxìn shìjiè shàng yǒu guǐ ma?
Do you believe there are ghosts in the world?
Zhège xiǎoguǐ zhēn tiáopí.
This little rascal is really mischievous.
Tā guǐ zhǔyì tèbié duō.
He has a lot of sneaky ideas.
Bié shuō guǐhuà le!
Stop talking nonsense!

Tips

culture
Chinese ghost culture is rich and ancient. The Ghost Festival (/) falls on the 15th of the 7th lunar month, when ghosts are believed to roam freely. People burn paper money and offerings for the dead.
usage
as a suffix describes people with a particular trait (usually negative): 酒鬼 (drunkard), 烟鬼 (chain smoker), 懒鬼 (lazybones), 小气鬼 (cheapskate), 胆小鬼 (coward). But 小鬼 (little rascal) can be affectionate.
usage
鬼话 (guǐhuà) = nonsense/lies. 鬼子 (guǐzi) = foreign devil (derogatory, historically for Japanese invaders). 魔鬼 (móguǐ) = demon/devil.

Stroke Order

guǐ