Chinese symbols, also known as Chinese characters, have a long and rich history dating back thousands of years. Chinese is written with logograms, each character representing a word or concept rather than a sound. This allows written Chinese to be understandable across various dialects and languages. Many Chinese symbols contain complex layers of meaning and historical significance. Sometimes certain symbols can take on alternative meanings in slang, online contexts, or even occult symbolism.
Origins of Chinese Characters
Chinese writing emerged over 3000 years ago during the Shang dynasty. The earliest forms were carved on tortoise shells and ox bones for the purpose of divination. These inscriptions used pictographs, stylized drawings to represent words or objects. As writing advanced, ideographs were developed, adding more abstract symbols that suggested ideas. Additional improvements led to logographs, characters that represented entire words or morphemes.
Over many centuries, Chinese writing evolved into a sophisticated logographic system containing thousands of distinct characters. Some characters are pictographic in origin, such as 山 for mountain, 人 for person, or 木 for tree. Other characters are ideographic, indicating more abstract concepts like 上 (up/above) and 下 (down/below). Most characters are phonetic compounds, with elements that suggest both meaning and pronunciation.
calligraphic styles also emerged, leading to variations in artistic script. Traditional Chinese is still used in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Meanwhile, mainland China adopted simplified characters to improve literacy. The People’s Republic of China introduced simplified forms in the 1950s and 60s to make writing easier. Despite these changes, Chinese symbols retain their historic significance tied to traditional culture.
Occult and Supernatural Symbolism
Beyond standard meanings, some Chinese characters take on occult or supernatural significance. Calligraphy and symbols are closely tied to feng shui, the Chinese system of harmonizing energy forces. Feng shui utilizes certain characters to promote positive qi and deter negative influences. For instance, the feng shui bagua mirror features the eight trigrams or ba gua. Each trigram symbolizes one aspect of harmony like wind, water, and mountain.
Daoist magic and folk traditions also use Chinese characters for spells, incantations, and rituals. Symbols can invoke deities, channel spiritual powers, or ward off evil spirits. For example, the charm zhong kui is displayed to protect against ghosts. A taoist priest might write a sacred diagram or talisman using esoteric characters. Some apparitions like hungry ghosts and phantoms are associated with specific symbols.
In contemporary pop culture, the image of a female ghost or long-haired woman in white is a recurring Chinese horror motif. This ghost qianlinggui may be depicted emerging creepily from behind symbolic characters. Similarly, the ghost or demon jiangshi is portrayed jumping up and down chasing victims while spell papers float around it.
Ghost and Spirit Symbols in Chinese
Certain Chinese symbols are directly associated with ghosts, spirits, and the supernatural realm. Here are some notable examples:
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 鬼 | guǐ | ghost, demon, monster |
| 怪 | guài | strange, mystery, monster |
| 妖 | yāo | demon, goblin, monster |
| 精 | jīng | spirit, apparition, elf |
| 靈 | líng | soul, spirit, supernatural |
| 魂 | hún | soul, spirit |
| 魄 | pò | earthly soul |
| 鬼魂 | guǐhún | ghost |
As shown, the core Chinese word for ghost or supernatural spirit is gui 鬼. This character originally depicted a night dancer wearing a ghost mask. Now it refers to anything spectral, including souls of the deceased. The related term guai 怪 means strange or aberrant and can refer to monsters or demons.
Another common word is yao 妖, a ghost or goblin that often tricks or harms humans. Jing 精 represents supernatural spirits along a spectrum from benign to demonic. Ling 靈 indicates a numinous soul or presence, much like the English word spirit.
The duo hun 魂 and po 魄 refer to two types of souls that detach from a body after death. Together, guihun 鬼魂 specifically denotes a ghost, one who lingers between realms. Other characters like wangliang 罔 two combine to mean underworld or land of the dead.
Fox Spirits and Ghosts
Animal spirits also feature heavily in Chinese legends and occultism. The most prominent is the fox spirit called huli jing 狐狸精 or nogitsune in Japanese. Fox spirits are cunning tricksters that can take human form. They often seduce or prey upon mortals. Other Chinese folk ghosts include:
- Jiangshi 僵尸 – reanimated corpse that feeds on qi, inspired Japanese jiangshi
- Yuan gui 冤鬼 – vengeful ghost who returns from grave
- Shui gui 水鬼 – malicious drowned ghost who drowns victims
- Fenghuang 鳳凰 – mythical phoenix bird, symbolizes divinity
- Tianma 天馬 – heavenly spectral horse, rides through the sky
As these examples show, Chinese ghost symbolism intermixes with mythology, superstition, and folklore. Animals play a prominent role as harbingers, manifestations, or forms assumed by spirits. Different ghosts represent death in various aspects such as restless haunting, sea burial, and burning vengeance.
Exorcism and Protection Symbols
Due to the prevalence of ghost symbolism, Chinese culture also developed an extensive array of exorcism and protection traditions. Rituals drive out spirits with noise, food offerings, and Taoist or Buddhist rites. Amulets, mirrors, and charms guard against supernatural forces. For example:
- Bagua – octagonal feng shui mirror attracts positive energy
- Zhong Kui – deity who vanquishes evil ghosts and spirits
- Hulu – gourd used to capture and hold demons prisoner
- Fu – mystic knot and charm to ward against evil
- Sheng – magic incantation that dispels ghosts when spoken
Taoist practitioners might craft complex magical diagrams or fu talismans with secret symbols. These fu pictograms invoke cosmic forces to shield against hungry ghosts and demons. Other Daoist protectors include door gods, celestial guardians, and spirit soldiers.
Ghosts in Modern Chinese Culture
Ghosts and supernatural themes remain ubiquitous in modern Chinese art and storytelling. Vengeful phantoms appear in novels like Pu Songling’s Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, set in ancient times. Contemporary horror movies like Bunshinsaba about ghosts haunting a classroom draw heavily on this rich tradition.
The internet age has brought about a proliferation of Chinese ghost stories spread through web pages and apps. New urban legends circulate about modern ghosts sighted in subways, schools, or haunted houses. Forums speculate about the meaning behind leaked videos of supposed spirits caught on film.
Chinese communities around the world still observe traditional practices like burning hell money to appease ancestors. People send offerings into ghost realms during the seventh month Hungry Ghost Festival. Incense, food platters, and joss paper folded into effigies get burned to sustain spirits.
While beliefs have faded in modern times, ghost symbolism still resonates in China and diaspora cultures. Stories of female wraiths with long black hair or moaning phantoms connect the present to a mythic past, for better or worse. Whether sincere or skeptical, Chinese ghost lore retains symbolic cultural power in the collective imagination.
Conclusion
Chinese writing originated over 3000 years ago using pictograms carved on oracle bones. Over centuries, this evolved into a logographic system with complex characters containing symbolic meaning. Beyond ordinary definitions, some characters have supernatural or occult significance.
The core Chinese character for ghost or spirit is gui 鬼, which originally depicted a masked dancer. Related concepts like demons, fox spirits, and possessed corpses populate Chinese literature and folklore. Stories tell of ghosts enacting justice or vengeance from beyond the grave. Living characters use charms, rituals, and talismans to ward off dangerous hungry ghosts.
Ghost symbolism remains culturally important in modern Chinese art and pop culture. New urban legends arise while traditions carry on. During ghost month, offerings are burned to appease spirits. And creepy female wraiths with long black hair still terrify audiences in horror films today.
So in both ancient script and contemporary imagination, ghosts maintain a surprisingly important symbolic role within Chinese culture.