妖

yāo

夭 + 女

Definitions

yāo goblin; witch; devil; bewitching; enchanting; monster; phantom; demon

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 女 represents the meaning and 夭 represents the sound.

Semantic: 女 Phonetic: 夭

About

妖 is a phono-semantic compound combining semantic 女 (woman) and phonetic 夭 (originally a bending or dancing figure). Its earliest meanings referred to a woman of bewitching, seductive beauty. This notion of unnatural allure shifted toward the supernatural and malevolent, so that the character came to denote demons, monsters, and anything strange, abnormal, or heretical. Today it primarily describes evil spirits and anomalous phenomena that disrupt the natural order, while retaining the older sense of dangerous, seductive glamour.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

那个故事里有妖怪。

Nàge gùshì li yǒu yāoguài.

That story has monsters in it.

森林里传出妖怪的叫声。

Sēnlín li chuán chū yāoguài de jiàoshēng.

The cry of a monster came from the forest.

这部电影的特效让妖怪很逼真。

Zhè bù diànyǐng de tèxiào ràng yāoguài hěn bīzhēn.

The special effects in this movie make the monsters very realistic.

她打扮得有点妖艳，不太适合这个场合。

Tā dǎban de yǒudiǎn yāoyàn, bù tài shìhé zhège chǎnghé.

She is dressed a bit too seductively, not very suitable for this occasion.

传说中，那个妖女会用歌声迷惑水手。

Chuánshuō zhōng, nàge yāonǚ huì yòng gēshēng míhuò shuǐshǒu.

Legend says that siren uses her singing to bewitch sailors.

这股妖风来得突然，把晾的衣服都吹跑了。

Zhè gǔ yāofēng lái de túrán, bǎ liàng de yīfu dōu chuī pǎo le.

This eerie wind came suddenly and blew all the drying clothes away.

她的舞姿带着一种妖娆的美。

Tā de wǔzī dàizhe yī zhǒng yāoráo de měi.

Her dancing posture carries a kind of enchanting beauty.

他试图用妖言惑众，来掩盖自己的罪行。

Tā shìtú yòng yāoyán huòzhòng, lái yǎngài zìjǐ de zuìxíng.

He attempted to confuse the public with heresy to cover up his crime.

Related Characters

Component: 夭

Component: 女

妖