妖

妖 (Kangxi radical 38, 女+4, 7 strokes, cangjie input 女竹大 (VHK), four-corner 4243₄, composition ⿰女夭)

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 256, character 20
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 6086
• Dae Jaweon: page 520, character 18
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1031, character 7
• Unihan data for U+5996

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *qrow) : semantic 女 + phonetic 夭 (OC *qoːwʔ, *qrow, *qrowʔ).

妖

1. abnormal or bizarre thing or phenomenon

   • 妖由人興也。人無釁焉，妖不自作，人棄常則妖興。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     妖由人兴也。人无衅焉，妖不自作，人弃常则妖兴。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Yāo yóu rén xīng yě. Rén wú xìn yān, yāo bù zì zuò, rén qì cháng zé yāo xìng.

     Monsters and monstrous events take their rise from men. If men afford no cause for them, they do not arise of themselves. When men abandon the constant course of virtue, then monstrosities appear.

   事體老妖個。 [Shanghainese, trad.]
   事体老妖个。 [Shanghainese, simp.]

   From: 2011, Hu Baotan, 弄堂

   ⁶zy-thi ⁶lau ¹iau-gheq [Wugniu]

   It's quite an odd happenstance.

2. demon; goblin

   貓妖／猫妖  ―  māoyāo  ―  cat goblin

3. evil and fraudulent

   妖術／妖术  ―  yāoshù  ―  witchcraft; sorcery

   妖言惑眾／妖言惑众  ―  yāoyánhuòzhòng  ―  to deceive people with lies and fallacies

4. (literary) gorgeous; beautiful; charming

   • 美女妖且閑，采桑歧路間。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     美女妖且闲，采桑歧路间。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 3rd century, Cao Zhi, 美女篇 ("On a Beautiful Woman"), translated by Wu (1998)^[1]

     Měinǚ yāo qiě xián, cǎi sāng qílù jiān.

     That beautiful woman is charming and graceful, she is plucking mulberries at the crossways.

5. (chiefly of women) bizarrely dressed or behaving frivolously

   妖裡妖氣／妖里妖气  ―  yāolǐyāoqì  ―  seductive and bewitching

6. (Cantonese, vulgar) yuck! (used in place of its near-homophone 屌 (diu2))

• (demon):

• “妖”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

(Jōyō kanji)

1. attractive
2. bewitching
3. calamity

• Go-on: よう (yō, Jōyō)^{←えう (eu, historical)}
• Kan-on: よう (yō, Jōyō)^{←えう (eu, historical)}
• Kun: あやしい (ayashii, 妖しい, Jōyō)、およずれ (oyozure, 妖)^{←およづれ (oyodure, 妖, historical)}、なまめく (namameku, 妖めく)、わざわい (wazawai, 妖い)^{←わざはひ (wazafafi, 妖ひ, historical)}

妖(およずれ) • (oyozure) ^{←およづれ (oyodure)?}

1. baseless rumors about a person
2. short form of 妖(およずれ)言(ごと) (oyozuregoto), of the same meaning

• 妖(およずれ)言(ごと) (oyozuregoto)

• IPA^(key):

妖(よう) • (yō) 

1. attractive
2. bewitching

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Middle Korean readings, if any”)

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key):
• Phonetic hangul:

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

妖

Wikisource

妖 • (yo) (hangeul 요)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

妖: Hán Nôm readings: yêu, èo

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.