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怪力亂神. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
怪力亂神, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
怪力亂神 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
怪力亂神 you have here. The definition of the word
怪力亂神 will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
怪力亂神, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Chinese
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queer; to blame
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power; force; strength
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in confusion; disorderly
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God; unusual; mysterious God; unusual; mysterious; soul; spirit; divine essence; lively; spiritual being |
| trad. (怪力亂神)
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怪
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力
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亂
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神
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| simp. (怪力乱神)
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怪
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力
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乱
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神
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Etymology
From the Analects, Book 7 (《論語·述而》):
子不語：怪、力、亂、神。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
子不语：怪、力、乱、神。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]- From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Zǐ bù yǔ: guài, lì, luàn, shén.
- The subjects on which the Master did not talk, were — extraordinary things, feats of strength, disorder, and spiritual beings.
Pronunciation
Idiom
怪力亂神
- (dated, literal) monstrousness, violence, rebellion and supernaturalism
- (figurative) superstition
Usage notes
This idiom was originally to be comprehended character by character, but people nowadays split it by two two-character endocentric phrases, hence the "superstition" meaning.