鬼

Han character

鬼 (Kangxi radical 194, 鬼+0, 10 strokes in traditional Chinese, Japanese and Korean, 9 strokes in mainland China, cangjie input 竹山戈 (HUI) or 竹戈 (HI) or 竹田竹戈 (HWHI), four-corner 2621₃ or 2651₃, composition ⿱甶⿺儿厶(HTJKV) or ⿸⿻白丿⿺乚厶(G))

1. Kangxi radical #194, ⿁.

Glyph origin

More information Historical forms of the character 鬼, Shang ...

Historical forms of the character 鬼
Shang	Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Close

Pictogram (象形) – a kneeling man or figure with an ugly face (甶). The ugly face could be a mask. The lower right “dot” is a small 厶; it is a residual tail that was added later – compare 离. Related to 畏 (variant 𠂽), which originally depicts a ghost standing with a stick in hand.

Compare 異 (“different, strange”), in which the 田 also derives from a face and indicates a mask. Compare also 禺, in which the top component represents either a mask or a monkey's head.

Etymology

Unknown. May be related to:

• 威 (OC *qul, “to overawe, to terrorise”) with k-nominalisation and endoactive tone B, lit. "the thing which is doing the overawing" (Childs-Johnson, 1995 apud Schuessler, 2007; Baxter & Sagart, 2014), or
• 歸 (OC *klul, “to return”) (Shuowen Jiezi ; Liezi ; Carr, 1985 apud Schuessler, 2007), yet Baxter & Sagart (2014) consider this connection, while semantically plausible, to be a folk etymology; as 鬼 (OC *k-ʔujʔ) and 歸 (OC *[k]ʷəj) had different Old Chinese rhymes & thus were likely unrelated.

See also 詭 (OC *krolʔ, “to deceive; peculiar”).

Pronunciation

Definitions

鬼

1. ghost; apparition; spirit (Classifier: 隻／只)

   這房子常常鬧鬼。 [MSC, trad.]
   这房子常常闹鬼。 [MSC, simp.]

   Zhè fángzi chángcháng nàoguǐ. [Pinyin]

   This house is haunted.

   • 人之鬼，非人也。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: Mozi, c. 4^th century BCE

     Rén zhī guǐ, fēirén yě. [Pinyin]

     A person's ghost is not a person.

   • 為之宗廟，以鬼享之。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     为之宗庙，以鬼享之。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Classic of Filial Piety, circa 475 – 221 BCE

     Wèi zhī zōngmiào, yǐ guǐ xiǎng zhī. [Pinyin]

     They prepare the ancestral temple (to receive the tablet of the departed), and there they present offerings to the disembodied spirit.

2. devil; demon

   鬼才知道呢！  ―  Guǐ cái zhīdào ne!  ―  How should I know?! (literal: The devil only knows! Similar to: "god knows")

3. (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)goblin
4. stealthy; tricky; furtive
5. sinister plot; dirty trick

   心裡有鬼／心里有鬼  ―  xīnlǐ yǒuguǐ  ―  to have a guilty conscience

6. devilish; damned; ghastly

   鬼天氣／鬼天气  ―  guǐ tiānqì  ―  damned weather

7. (informal) clever; smart; quick

   這孩子鬼得很！／这孩子鬼得很！  ―  Zhè háizi guǐ dehěn!  ―  This kid is amazingly smart!

8. (derogatory) fool; blockhead; guy; moral imbecile

   那個老鬼又來了。 [MSC, trad.]
   那个老鬼又来了。 [MSC, simp.]

   Nàge lǎoguǐ yòu lái le. [Pinyin]

   That geezer is coming again.

9. Derogatory name for people with a flaw or vice. -ard

   煙鬼／烟鬼  ―  yānguǐ  ―  heavy smoker

   酒鬼  ―  jiǔguǐ  ―  alcoholic

   懶鬼／懒鬼  ―  lǎnguǐ  ―  lazybones

10. (intimate) imp; urchin

    小鬼  ―  xiǎoguǐ  ―  imp

    機靈鬼／机灵鬼  ―  jīlíngguǐ  ―  crafty child

11. (regional, derogatory, usually in compounds) Caucasian or Western person

    鬼佬 [Cantonese]  ―  gwai² lou² [Jyutping]  ―  gweilo (derogatory term for a white person)

12. (Cantonese) traitor; rat; mole
13. (Cantonese, ball games) opponent trying to steal the ball
14. (Cantonese, inserted in certain adjectives) so; very
15. (Cantonese) suspicious
16. (mildly vulgar) the hell

    什麼鬼233／什么鬼233  ―  shénme guǐ 233  ―  what the hell LOL

    我點鬼記得！ [Cantonese, trad.]
    我点鬼记得！ [Cantonese, simp.]

    ngo⁵ dim² gwai² gei³ dak¹! [Jyutping]

    How the hell am I supposed to remember?!

    你在搞什麼鬼？／你在搞什么鬼？  ―  Nǐ zài gǎo shénme guǐ?  ―  What the hell are you doing?

    你搞乜鬼呀？ [Cantonese, trad. and simp.]

    nei⁵ gaau² mat¹ gwai² aa³? [Jyutping]

    What the hell are you doing?

17. (mildly vulgar) who the hell; what the hell

    鬼知道！  ―  Guǐ zhīdào!  ―  Devil knows!

    有鬼人知咩！ [Cantonese, trad. and simp.]

    jau⁵ gwai² jan⁴ zi¹ me¹! [Jyutping]

    Who the hell knows!

    鬼叫你…… [Cantonese]  ―  gwai² giu³ nei⁵...... [Jyutping]  ―  Who the hell told you to... → No one told you to...

    有鬼用 [Cantonese]  ―  jau⁵ gwai² jung⁶ [Jyutping]  ―  has what use (what the hell use it has) → is damn worthless, is of damn-all use

Compounds

Descendants

Others:

• → Thai: กุ๊ย (gúi)

References

• “鬼”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
• 莆田市政协文化文史和学习委员会 [Culture, History and Learning Committee of Putian CPPCC], editor (2021), “鬼”, in 莆仙方言大词典 [Comprehensive Dictionary of Puxian Dialect] (overall work in Mandarin and Puxian Min), Xiamen University Press, →ISBN, page 250.