傀

guī, kuǐ

亻 + 鬼

Definitions

guī grand; strange; exotic

kuǐ used in 傀儡[kuǐ lěi]

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 亻 represents the meaning and 鬼 represents the sound.

Semantic: 亻 Phonetic: 鬼

About

傀 is a phono-semantic compound character: the semantic radical 亻 (person) indicates an association with human figures, while the phonetic component 鬼 (ghost) supplies the pronunciation. Its core meaning is 'puppet,' 'dummy,' or 'artificial human figure,' and it is most commonly encountered in the compound 傀儡 (kuǐlěi, marionette). This sense extends metaphorically to describe a figurehead or someone manipulated by others.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这个傀儡很可爱。

Zhège kuǐlěi hěn kě'ài.

This puppet is very cute.

傀儡戏很有趣。

Kuǐlěi xì hěn yǒuqù.

Puppet shows are very interesting.

他被当作傀儡。

Tā bèi dàngzuò kuǐlěi.

He is treated as a puppet.

傀儡没有自己的思想。

Kuǐlěi méiyǒu zìjǐ de sīxiǎng.

Puppets do not have their own thoughts.

她操纵着那个傀儡。

Tā cāozòng zhe nàgè kuǐlěi.

She is manipulating that puppet.

孩子们喜欢看傀儡表演。

Háizimen xǐhuān kàn kuǐlěi biǎoyǎn.

Children like to watch puppet performances.

那个政权是个傀儡政府。

Nàgè zhèngquán shì gè kuǐlěi zhèngfǔ.

That regime is a puppet government.

虽然他是领导人，但实际上他只是个傀儡，所有决定都由幕后人物掌控。

Suīrán tā shì lǐngdǎo rén, dàn shíjì shàng tā zhǐshì gè kuǐlěi, suǒyǒu juédìng dōu yóu mùhòu rénwù zhǎngkòng.

Although he is the leader, in reality he is just a puppet, and all decisions are controlled by behind-the-scenes figures.

Related Characters

Component: 亻

Component: 鬼

傀