魍 (wǎng): (in 魍魉) a water and forest demon

Meanings

魍魉藏在密林深处。

Wǎng liǎng

Demons of mountain and water lurked in the deep forest.

各种魑魅魍魉在夜里出来。

Chī mèi wǎng liǎng

All sorts of monsters and evil spirits came out at night.

culture

魍 is a bound character used only in 魍魉, spirits of mountains, forests and waters. With 魑魅 it forms an idiom for all manner of bad, scheming people.

radical

鬼 guǐ

ghost; demon

鬼 is the ghost radical, marking this as a supernatural being. It indexes the whole family of demon and spirit characters.

phonetic

罔 wǎng

net; to deceive

罔 supplies the sound wǎng, matching its own reading exactly. Its sense of a net or deception also faintly suits an ensnaring forest spirit.

魍 wǎng