Chinese Mythology

Water Ghost

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Tradition: Taiwanese Mythology, Chinese Mythology
Alternative Names: Chúi-kúi, Shuí-guǐ, 水鬼, Water Spirit
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Water Ghosts are vengeful spirits that haunt rivers and other bodies of water, waiting for unsuspecting people who approach the shore or attempt to cross a river. They are the souls of people who drowned, including those who deliberately took their own lives in the water. Because they died unnatural deaths, they are believed to remain trapped in the water, filled with resentment and unable to reincarnate. They can seize the living and drag them beneath the surface, drowning their victims in the depths.

A Water Ghost seeks to escape its restless existence by catching a substitute. It drags a living person underwater and drowns them, forcing the victim’s soul to take its place. The original spirit can then move on, while the newly drowned person becomes a Water Ghost and waits for another victim. This cycle of death and replacement continues indefinitely, making rivers and waterways dangerous places in which to encounter these spirits.

Some legends describe Water Ghosts haunting people who survive floods or rescue drowning victims and bring them home. Their presence may bring further misfortune, including disease, madness, and additional drownings. In Taiwan, people have developed rituals to appease these spirits and prevent them from causing harm. Ceremonies are held to deliver the souls of those who died in floods, while shrines and protective structures are built near waterways to restrain or honor the spirits. Some drowned individuals are even worshipped as water deities known as Water-Flowing Lords, whose supernatural power is believed capable of bringing both good fortune and disaster.

Sources

“疫鬼 (Yìguǐ).” Chinese Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%96%AB%E9%AC%BC

Plague Demon

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Tradition: Chinese Mythology
Alternative Names: Plague Ghost, Pestilence Demon
Category: Ghost

The Myth

The Plague Demon is a terrifying supernatural creature in Chinese mythology that spreads deadly diseases wherever it appears. It can take many forms, including those of humans and animals, making its true appearance difficult to recognize. Its arrival brings sickness and death, and entire communities may suffer from the plague associated with its presence.

One account describes a cowherd who heard someone knocking at the door of his cattle pen during the night. When he got up to investigate, he saw hundreds of powerful men wearing colorful armor and red helmets rushing into the enclosure. The mysterious figures soon disappeared, and by daybreak all fifty cattle inside the pen were dead. The event was attributed to a Plague Demon, whose supernatural presence had brought sudden destruction to the herd.

Other traditional accounts describe plague ghosts as spirits that cling to walls and cannot pass through open air. These beings embody the devastating power of disease, appearing as mysterious forces capable of bringing death to humans and animals alike. Their arrival is feared because the sickness they spread can strike without warning and leave destruction in its wake.

Sources

“水鬼 (Shuǐguǐ).” Chinese Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B0%B4%E9%AC%BC

Nengdai Gui

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Tradition: Chinese Mythology
Alternative Names: 能戴鬼
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Nengdai Gui is a strange supernatural creature from Chinese mythology, described as entirely black except for its two snow-white eyes. Its body is as insubstantial as smoke or mist, yet soft and pliable like cotton wool. It has a long, pointed mouth resembling a bird’s beak, giving it an unsettling and unusual appearance.

Despite its frightening looks, Nengdai Gui is not necessarily hostile toward humans. It can live peacefully alongside people and may even be tamed like a dog. Once domesticated, it obeys its owner and can be directed to carry out tasks, serving its master much like a trained animal.

The name Nengdai Gui is also used to describe someone or something exceptionally ugly. The creature’s bizarre combination of a black, mist-like body, glaring white eyes, and sharp beak-like mouth has made it an image of grotesque appearance in Chinese supernatural tradition.

Sources

“能戴鬼 (Néngdàiguǐ).” Chinese Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%83%BD%E6%88%B4%E9%AC%BC

Gaohuang Gui

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Tradition: Chinese Mythology
Alternative Names: 膏肓鬼, Ghost of the Gaohuang
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Gaohuang Gui is a sinister ghost from Chinese mythology associated with the gaohuang, the region of the body traditionally understood as lying around the diaphragm. It is described as a terrifying spirit that can hide deep within a person’s body, beyond the reach of ordinary treatment.

The legend originates in the story of Duke Jing of Jin, who dreamed of a fierce ghost hiding in his gaohuang. After this encounter, the image of the spirit developed into that of a supernatural creature that dwells in this part of the body and makes an illness increasingly severe. Once Gaohuang Gui has taken refuge there, the afflicted person becomes difficult to cure, as the spirit is hidden in a place that ordinary medicine cannot easily reach.

Gaohuang Gui embodies the terrifying idea of an illness that has become deeply rooted within the body. Unlike ghosts that attack openly, this spirit hides inside its victim, silently worsening the sickness from within.

Sources

“膏肓鬼 (Gāohuāngguǐ).” Chinese Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%86%8F%E8%82%93%E9%AC%BC

Bingui

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Tradition: Chinese Mythology
Alternative Names: Sick Ghost, Illness Ghost
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Bingui, the Sick Ghost, is a supernatural being associated with illness, ghostly patients, and encounters between the living and the dead. Tales about Bingui describe ghosts who suffer from ailments and seek medical treatment from human physicians. In some stories, a person renowned for his medical skill receives unexpected visitors at night, when ghosts arrive asking him to cure their illnesses. After receiving treatment, the spirits may feel deeply grateful for the physician’s kindness.

Other versions tell of physicians who treat ghosts but suffer misfortune as a result. One tale describes a person who is led by the ghosts of patients he had killed through mistaken treatment to the underworld, where he is beaten as punishment. These stories portray encounters with sick ghosts as dangerous, especially when a healer’s actions have caused suffering among the dead.

Stories of groups of sick ghosts seeking treatment also appear in Chinese supernatural literature. In these accounts, the boundary between medicine, death, and the underworld becomes blurred, as the living may be summoned to treat the dead or face consequences for their dealings with spirits.

Sources

“病鬼 (Bìngguǐ).” Chinese Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%97%85%E9%AC%BC

Baijia Ni

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Tradition: Chinese Mythology
Alternative Names: Heavenly Ghost, Aoshani
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Baijia Ni, also known as the Heavenly Ghost or Aoshani, is a malevolent spirit in Lisu mythology that brings illness and suffering to the living. It can cause severe headaches, deafness, coughing, and other diseases. In the most serious cases, its influence can lead to death. It belongs to a wider group of supernatural beings known as Ni, the spirits feared by the Lisu people.

To appease Baijia Ni, people perform a sacrificial ritual involving the killing of a cow. A chicken must also be offered, with a rooster required when the sacrificed cow is a bull. The ritual includes specific plants and materials, such as poplar, pine, cypress, wild bamboo, and golden bamboo. These offerings are intended to address the spirit and protect people from the illnesses and misfortune it can bring.

Sources

“白加尼 (Báijiāní).” Chinese Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%99%BD%E5%8A%A0%E5%B0%BC

Datou Gui

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Tradition: Chinese Mythology
Alternative Names: 大头鬼, Big-Headed Ghost
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Datou Gui is a strange ghost from Chinese mythology, distinguished by its enormous head, which is far larger than an ordinary human head. It is often said to appear beside roads, where it shuffles along slowly because its oversized head is too heavy for it to move quickly. Its appearance varies between stories, but it is commonly portrayed as a human-like figure with a disproportionately large head, sometimes so enormous that it resembles a large jar or vessel.

Chinese tales describe Datou Gui in several unusual encounters. One legend tells of the scholar Fang Xiaoru frightening away a Big-Headed Ghost while reading late at night. Another story describes the official Yu Qian playing a trick on one. Other accounts portray ghosts whose heads are many times larger than their bodies, with faces as wide as windows or heads so enormous that they cannot fit through ordinary doorways.

Despite its frightening appearance, Datou Gui is not always portrayed as an omen of misfortune. In one account, encountering a Big-Headed Ghost is considered a sign that an imperial examination official will soon be promoted. These stories present the creature as an uncanny apparition whose immense head makes it both ridiculous and unsettling.

Sources

“大头鬼 (Dàtóuguǐ).” Chinese Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%A4%A7%E5%A4%B4%E9%AC%BC

Chai Gui

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Tradition: Chinese Mythology
Alternative Names: 蠆鬼, Venom Ghost
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Chai Gui is a terrifying ghost described in the Chinese supernatural tale The Scorpion Merchant. It appears in human form, with yellow hair and an ugly, demonic face. Its name refers to venomous creatures such as snakes and scorpions, reflecting its sinister nature.

The legend tells of a merchant from the south who travelled from place to place selling scorpions every year. One year, when the merchant returned, he became strangely uneasy and sought refuge in a shop. Hoping to hide from whatever was troubling him, he climbed into a large vat and concealed himself inside. Shortly afterward, a frightening figure with yellow hair and a face like an evil spirit entered the shop, searching for the scorpion merchant.

Unable to find his intended victim, the yellow-haired figure eventually left. The shopkeeper then opened the vat to release the merchant, but the man had vanished. Inside, there was nothing but bloody water. The merchant had apparently been killed by the mysterious ghost, leaving behind no trace of his body. The story presents Chai Gui as a terrifying supernatural pursuer whose victims may disappear in a gruesome and inexplicable manner.

Sources

“蠆鬼.” Chinese Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%A0%86%E9%AC%BC

Hungry Ghost

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Tradition: Chinese Mythology, Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Egui, Gaki, Preta
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Hungry ghosts are restless supernatural beings in Chinese and Japanese mythology, associated with insatiable hunger, greed, and suffering. They are spirits of the dead who cannot satisfy their desires, remaining perpetually tormented by their cravings. They are often imagined as gaunt, miserable beings who wander in search of food and drink, unable to find lasting relief. Some are said to possess long, thin necks that make feeding difficult, leaving them endlessly hungry. Others appear in the form of animals or take on the appearance of beautiful men and women to lure the living.

A person may become a hungry ghost after death because of greed, cruelty, or selfishness during their lifetime. Those who refuse to share food, deceive others for personal gain, or deny offerings to religious mendicants may be condemned to this existence for countless lifetimes. In one tale, a wealthy man’s wife secretly urinated into a monk’s bowl before adding sugarcane juice and offering it to him. After her death, she was reborn as a hungry ghost. Another story tells of a woman who locked a begging monk inside an empty room without food, despite her husband’s instructions to feed him. Her selfishness condemned her to become a hungry ghost for innumerable lifetimes.

Hungry ghosts are also associated with neglected ancestors and the restless spirits of those who have been forgotten by their living relatives. In Chinese tradition, they are believed to roam the world during the seventh month of the lunar calendar, when the gates of the underworld open and the spirits are permitted to visit the living. Families prepare offerings of food, drink, incense, and spirit money to satisfy their deceased relatives and prevent misfortune. Unknown and homeless spirits are also given offerings so they will not trouble the living. During the Ghost Festival, performances are held for the spirits, with the first row of seats left empty for their use.

Despite these offerings, hungry ghosts remain dangerous and unpredictable. They may cause sickness, possess the living, or appear in frightening forms to lure people into danger. During the Ghost Month, people traditionally avoid wandering outside after dark, swimming, disturbing food offerings, or sitting in seats reserved for spirits. At the end of the festival, lanterns shaped like lotus flowers are floated on water to guide the ghosts back to the underworld. The hungry ghost represents a being trapped by desire, forever seeking satisfaction but unable to escape its own suffering.

Sources

“Hungry ghost.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungry_ghost

Wudouni

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Tradition: Chinese Mythology
Alternative Names: 屋豆尼, Qiwun
Category: Ghost

The Myth

Wudouni is a ghostly being from the mythology of the Lisu people of Yunnan, China. It is also known as Qiwu. According to one tradition, this spirit is connected to Sila Shou and Dala Shou, ancestors of the Tiger clan. Because of this ancestral association, members of the Yang clan among the Lisu do not make offerings to the spirit.

Another account connects the name Wudou with a place along the Lancang River. The spirit is said to cause trouble to people who become drunk, disturbing or harming them while they are intoxicated. Its precise appearance and the exact nature of its supernatural attacks are not described.

Sources

“屋豆尼 (Wūdòuní).” Chinese Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B1%8B%E8%B1%86%E5%B0%BC