英语单词趣谈：25个与“鬼”有关的词汇（打印版）

　　I’m particularly fond of affix characters in Chinese, and what more vibrant an example than 鬼 guǐ (“ghost; devil”)?

　　魔鬼 mguǐ (“evil devil”) – demon

　　懒鬼 lǎnguǐ (“lazy devil”) – lazybones

　　酒鬼 jiǔguǐ (“alcohol ghost”) – alcoholic; drunkard

　　醉鬼 zuguǐ (“drunk devil”) – drunkard

　　烟鬼 yānguǐ (“smoke devil”) – opium addict; chain smoker

　　调皮鬼 tiáopguǐ (“naughty devil”) – naughty child

　　捣蛋鬼 dǎodnguǐ (“make-trouble devil”) – same as #6

　　吸血鬼 xīxuguǐ (“suck-blood devil”) – vampire

　　鬼佬 guǐlǎo (“devil old-guy”) – foreigner (usually derogatory)

　　胆小鬼 dǎnxiǎoguǐ (“small-gut devil”) – coward; chicken

　　二鬼子 rguǐzi (“two-ghost-thing”) - a “banana” – someone yellow (Asian) on the outside but white (Caucasian) on the inside (derogatory)*

　　短命鬼 duǎnmngguǐ (“short-life devil”) – someone who dies at a young age

　　赌鬼 dǔguǐ (“gambling ghost”) – gambling addict

　　饿鬼 guǐ (“hungry ghost”) – someone who is always hungry; someone with a big appetite

　　机灵鬼 jīlingguǐ (“clever ghost”) – clever person

　　胡涂鬼 htuguǐ (“confused ghost”) – someone who often seems confused and/or stupid

　　色鬼 sguǐ (“lust ghost”) – lecher; person who engages in sexual excess (no exact word for this in English perhaps?)

　　厉鬼 lguǐ (“terrible ghost”) – evil spirit

　　馋鬼 chánguǐ (“gluttonous ghost”) – pig (someone who eats too much)

　　催命鬼 cuīmngguǐ (“prodding ghost”) – someone who keeps pushing people to do things; a nagger

　　死鬼 sǐguǐ (“dead ghost”) – a negative but playful term used between spouses

　　鬼子 guǐzi (“devil-thing”) – foreign devil (derogatory)

　　鬼怪 guǐgui (“ghost-monster”) – ghosts and monsters

　　见鬼 jinguǐ (“see ghost”) – go to Hell!

　　鬼知道 guǐ zhīdo (“ghost knows”) – Heaven knows!