The Chinese term **鬼子 (guǐzi)**, literally "ghost/devil" + the nominal suffix "child/son," is a powerfully derogatory compound formed through metaphoric scorn and dehumanization. Its construction layers the malevolent supernatural imagery of **鬼 (guǐ)** with the familiarizing suffix **子 (zi)** to create a contemptuous label meaning "devil person" or "foreign demon." Historically, the term evolved from a classical Chinese reference to "barbarians from beyond civilization," was revitalized in the 19th century to condemn Western imperialists, and became most infamously solidified during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) as a nationalistic epithet specifically for Japanese invaders, encapsulating both perceived moral evil and Otherness.