Taxonomy of meanings for 鬼:　　

  • 鬼 guǐ (OC: kulʔ MC: kʷɨi) 居偉切 上 廣韻：【鬼之爲言歸也居偉切一 】
    • GHOST
      • nabmetaphysicalghost of a deceased person or creature, spirit of a feature of nature
      • nab{PRED}be a ghostDS
      • become a ghost> DIE
        • honoured> ANCESTOR
            • DEITY
              • npluralgenerally: the spirits and ghosts 鬼神
              • nadVanalogylike a ghost, like a spirit
              • viactact like a ghost
              • nspirit
              • ncpost-V{NUM}ghosts in a number of VDS
            • service to> RITUAL
              • nabconceptthe rituals appropriate for the ghosts of one's ancestorsLZ
        • CONSTELLATIONS

          Additional information about 鬼

          說文解字: 【鬼】，人所歸爲鬼。从人，象鬼頭。鬼，陰气賊害。从厶。凡鬼之屬皆从鬼。 【居偉切】 【𩲚(𩲡)】，古文从示。

            Criteria
          • GHOST

            1. The current general word for all manner of ghosts is guǐ 鬼.

            2. Bù ruò 不若 are ghosts of the wicked kind.

          • DEITY

            1. The general designation for the spirits is guǐ shén 鬼神, and for the higher and lower spirits of Heaven and Earth it is shén qí 神祇.

            2. Guǐ 鬼 is very often a spirit of the deceased (See GHOST), but the word can also refer to nature spirits of all kinds.

            3. Shén 神 refers to the ethereal supernatural spirits of all kinds, primarily associated with heaven, but the word also refers to a righteous person who turns into such a spirit after death.

            4. Míng shén 明神 refers to the luminous elevated higher spirits, and it is significant that there are not míng guǐ 明鬼.

            5. Qí 祇 refers to the spirits of the earth.

            6. Yāo 妖 are wicked spirits, and jiān 姦 can be used in the same sense. See DEVIL.

            7. Xiān 仙 refers to ethereal divinised creatures of any kind, typically to those who have attained an eternal life on earth, and it is striking that the word gained currency first in Eastern Han times, and that the word is very common in the verbal meaning "become an immortal", whereas guǐ 鬼 is very rarely so used.

            Word relations
          • Object: (DEITY)祭/SACRIFICE The most general word for making sacrificial offerings of wine and food to spirits of Heaven, of Earth and to the ancestors (perhaps primarily to the spirits of Earth and of the ancestors) is jì 祭 which has become the most common word in Warring States times, replacing sì 祀, which was more common in SHU and SHI.
          • Assoc: (DEITY)神/DEITY Shén 神refers to the ethereal supernatural spirits of all kinds, primarily associated with heaven, but the word also refers to a righteous person who turns into such a spirit after death.
          • Assoc: (GHOST)神/DEITY Shén 神refers to the ethereal supernatural spirits of all kinds, primarily associated with heaven, but the word also refers to a righteous person who turns into such a spirit after death.
          • Oppos: (GHOST)神/DEITY Shén 神refers to the ethereal supernatural spirits of all kinds, primarily associated with heaven, but the word also refers to a righteous person who turns into such a spirit after death.