夜叉

yèchā
noun #48,234

Meanings

  1. 1 yaksha, a man-eating demon of Buddhist lore
  2. 2 a fierce-looking or ugly person

Examples

HSK 7-9
Sìmiào de bìhuà shàng huà zhe jǐ ge xiōng'è de yèchā.
The temple murals show several ferocious yakshas.
HSK 7-9
Tā yì shēngqì jiù xiàng ge yèchā, shéi dōu bù gǎn rě tā.
When she gets angry she looks like a demon, and nobody dares cross her.

Tips

culture
The word comes from Sanskrit yaksha. In Buddhism some yakshas became guardians of the Dharma, but in everyday speech 夜叉 is an insult for a fierce or ugly person, and 母夜叉 for a shrewish woman.

In Pop Culture

犬夜叉 Quǎnyèchā
InuYasha
Japanese manga and anime (1996-2008) about a half-demon whose name means 'dog yaksha'.

Stroke Order

夜 yè
叉 chā