鬼 (guǐ): ghost; spirit; devil

Meanings

1 ghost; spirit; devil
2 person with a particular vice or trait
3 sly; crafty; damned

Characters

鬼

guǐ

ghost; spirit; devil

Examples

你相信世界上有鬼吗？

Nǐ xiāngxìn shìjiè shàng yǒu guǐ ma?

Do you believe there are ghosts in the world?

这个小鬼真调皮。

Zhège xiǎoguǐ zhēn tiáopí.

This little rascal is really mischievous.

他鬼主意特别多。

Tā guǐ zhǔyì tèbié duō.

He has a lot of sneaky ideas.

别说鬼话了！

Bié shuō guǐhuà le!

Stop talking nonsense!

Tips

culture

Chinese ghost culture is rich and ancient. The Ghost Festival (中元节/鬼节) 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

鬼 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.

Components

pictograph

鬼 guǐ

ghost; spirit of the dead

Self-component — 鬼 is itself Kangxi radical #194 and not analysable into independent modern leaves. The oracle-bone form depicted a kneeling figure topped by an oversized fearful mask, the 田-like upper portion being the spirit-mask and the lower 儿+厶 being the body and a wisp of departing soul. Indexing radical for 魂, 魄, 魅, 魔.