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牛鬼蛇神

Mandarin · pinyin niú guǐ shé shén

evil monsters
(fig.) bad characters
(political) bad elements

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Characters in this entry

牛: niú · cow, ox, bull; Kangxi radical 93; 9th lunar mansion, determinative star β Capricorni (Dabih)
鬼: guǐ · ghost; spirit of dead; devil; Kangxi radical 194; 23rd lunar mansion, determinative star θ Cancri
蛇: shé · snake
神: shén · spirit, god, supernatural being

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

2–3–2–2 · niu2 gui3 she2 shen2

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ngau4 gwai2 se4 san4

Cantonese word readings for 牛鬼蛇神. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(figurative) all sorts of bad things, especially people
(historical, politics) cow demons and snake spirits

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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