Definition
妖怪 (yāo guài) refers to a supernatural monster or spirit in Chinese mythology, often an animal or object that has gained magical powers through cultivation. Unlike 鬼 (guǐ), which is a human ghost, or 魔鬼 (mó guǐ), a religious devil, 妖怪 is specifically a creature from folk legend (e.g., fox spirits, tree demons). It also differs from 怪物 (guài wu), which can simply mean a bizarre or mutated creature without supernatural origin.
noun
monsterdemonspirit (in Chinese mythology)
Examples
- 《》，妖怪。Zài Xīyóu Jì lǐ, hěn duō yāo guài dōu xiǎng chī Táng Sēng ròu.In Journey to the West, many monsters want to eat Tang Sanzang's flesh.
- 妖怪。Zhège xiǎoshuō de zhǔjué shì yí gè shànliáng de yāo guài.The protagonist of this novel is a kind monster.
- ，妖怪。Tā huà le yì fú huà, shàngmiàn quán shì qíxíng guàizhuàng de yāo guài.She drew a picture covered with grotesque monsters.
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