Kuei
/ˈkweɪ/noun
A Wade–Giles romanization of the Mandarin Chinese word guǐ, meaning a ghost or disembodied spirit.
Did you know?In traditional Chinese thought, kuei were not simply generic monsters: they could include restless dead whose neglected graves, violent deaths, or missing offerings left them spiritually unresolved.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese, c. 1st millennium BCE
Old Chinese
鬼 (*kʷəʔ)
“A ghost, spirit of the dead, or supernatural being”
Classical Chinese
Classical Chinese
鬼 (guǐ)
“A ghost or disembodied spirit, often associated with the dead”
19th Century
Wade–Giles
kuei
“Romanization of Mandarin guǐ”
20th Century
English
kuei
“An English-language scholarly and occult term for a Chinese ghost or spirit”
Modern English
English
kuei / guǐ
“A Chinese ghost or spirit, more commonly romanized today as guǐ”