牛鬼蛇神 niú guǐ shé shén ox-headed ghost and snake-bodied god

Explanation

原指传说中的牛头鬼和蛇身神，形容虚幻怪诞。后比喻各种各样的坏人或妖魔鬼怪。

Originally refers to the legendary ox-headed ghost and snake-bodied god, describing something illusory and bizarre. Later, it is used to describe all kinds of bad people or monsters.

Origin Story

话说唐朝诗人李贺，才华横溢却英年早逝，他的诗作充满奇思妙想，意象瑰丽。杜牧曾评价他的诗歌“鲸呿鳌掷，牛鬼蛇神，不足为其虚荒诞幻也”，这句诗里“牛鬼蛇神”并非贬义，而是赞扬李贺想象力丰富，诗中景象奇特瑰丽，超凡脱俗，如同鬼神般不可捉摸。李贺的诗歌世界，仿佛一个充满想象力的奇幻世界，那里有各种奇异的生物，奇特的景象，还有令人惊叹的想象力。他笔下的景象，奇幻诡谲，如同神灵和妖魔的世界，但又充满诗意和美感。虽然“牛鬼蛇神”常用来形容坏人，但这并非李贺诗歌的本意。李贺的诗歌，更像是一场充满想象力的奇幻之旅，带领我们走进一个充满神秘和惊喜的世界。

shuō huà táng cháo shī rén lǐ hè, cái huá héng yì què yīng nián zǎo shì, tā de shī zuò chōng mǎn qí sī miào xiǎng, yì xiàng guī lì。dù mù céng píng jià tā de shī gē “jīng qū áo zhì, niú guǐ shé shén, bù zú wèi qí xū huāng dàn huàn yě”, zhè jù shī lǐ “niú guǐ shé shén” bìng fēi biǎn yì, ér shì zàn yáng lǐ hè xiǎng xiàng lì fēng fù, shī zhōng jǐng xiàng qí tè guī lì, chāo fán tuō sú, rú tóng guǐ shén bān bù kě zhuō mō。lǐ hè de shī gē shì jiè, fǎng fú yīgè chōng mǎn xiǎng xiàng lì de qí huàn shì jiè, nà lǐ yǒu gè zhǒng qí yì de shēng wù, qí tè de jǐng xiàng, hái yǒu lìng rén jīng tàn de xiǎng xiàng lì。tā bǐ xià de jǐng xiàng, qí huàn guǐ jué, rú tóng shén líng hé yāo mó de shì jiè, dàn yòu chōng mǎn shī yì hé měi gǎn。suī rán “niú guǐ shé shén” cháng yòng lái xíng róng huài rén, dàn zhè bìng fēi lǐ hè shī gē de běn yì。lǐ hè de shī gē, gèng xiàng shì yī chǎng chōng mǎn xiǎng xiàng lì de qí huàn zhī lǚ, dài lǐng wǒ men zǒu jìn yīgè chōng mǎn shén mì hé jīng xǐ de shì jiè。

It is said that Li He, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, was extremely talented but died young. His poems are full of whimsical ideas and gorgeous imagery. Du Mu once commented on his poems, "鲸呿鳌掷，牛鬼蛇神，不足为其虚荒诞幻也." In this poem, "牛鬼蛇神" is not derogatory, but rather a praise for Li He's rich imagination and the unusual, magnificent, and otherworldly images in his poems, which are as unpredictable as ghosts and demons. The world in Li He's poems is like a fantastic and imaginative world, filled with various strange creatures, peculiar scenes, and amazing imagination. The scenes he depicts are fantastic and bizarre, like the world of gods and demons, but also full of poetry and beauty. Although "牛鬼蛇神" is often used to describe villains, this is not the original intention of Li He's poems. Li He's poems are more like a fantastic and imaginative journey, leading us into a world full of mystery and surprise.

Usage

常用来形容各种各样的坏人，有时也用来形容虚幻怪诞的事物。

cháng yòng lái xíng róng gè zhǒng gè yàng de huài rén, yǒushí yě yòng lái xíng róng xū huàn guài dàn de shì wù。

Often used to describe all kinds of bad people, sometimes also used to describe illusory and bizarre things.

Examples

• 这帮牛鬼蛇神，竟然敢在光天化日之下行凶作恶！

  zhè bāng niú guǐ shé shén, jìng rán gǎn zài guāng tiān huà rì zhī xià xíng xióng zuò è!

  This gang of evil spirits dared to commit crimes in broad daylight!

• 社会上有一些牛鬼蛇神，专门欺压百姓。

  shè huì shàng yǒu yīxiē niú guǐ shé shén, zhuānmén qīyā bǎixìng。

  There are some evil people in society who specialize in oppressing the people.

Related Idioms

• 妖魔鬼怪

• 魑魅魍魉

Opposite Idioms

• 好人

• 善良