怪力亂神

Chinese

		queer; to blame	power; force; strength	in confusion; disorderly	God; unusual; mysterious God; unusual; mysterious; soul; spirit; divine essence; lively; spiritual being
trad. (怪力亂神)		怪	力	亂	神
simp. (怪力乱神)		怪	力	乱	神

Etymology

From the Analects, Book 7 (《論語·述而》):

子不語：怪、力、亂、神。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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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. [Pinyin]

The subjects on which the Master did not talk, were — extraordinary things, feats of strength, disorder, and spiritual beings.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): guàilìluànshén

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄨㄞˋ ㄌㄧˋ ㄌㄨㄢˋ ㄕㄣˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): gwaai³ lik⁶ lyun⁶ san⁴
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): koài-le̍k-loān-sîn

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: guàilìluànshén
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄞˋ ㄌㄧˋ ㄌㄨㄢˋ ㄕㄣˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: guàilìluànshén
    • Wade–Giles: kuai⁴-li⁴-luan⁴-shên²
    • Yale: gwài-lì-lwàn-shén
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: guaylihluannshern
    • Palladius: гуайлилуаньшэнь (guajliluanʹšɛnʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ku̯aɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ li⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu̯än⁵¹ ʂən³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: gwaai³ lik⁶ lyun⁶ san⁴
    • Yale: gwaai lihk lyuhn sàhn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gwaai³ lik⁹ lyn⁶ san⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: guai³ lig⁶ lün⁶ sen⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʷaːi̯³³ lɪk̚² lyːn²² sɐn²¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: koài-le̍k-loān-sîn
    • Tâi-lô: kuài-li̍k-luān-sîn
    • Phofsit Daibuun: koaelegloaxnsiin
    • IPA (Xiamen): /kuai²¹⁻⁵³ liɪk̚⁴⁻³² luan²²⁻²¹ sin²⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /kuai⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ liɪk̚²⁴⁻² luan⁴¹⁻²² sin²⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /kuai²¹⁻⁵³ liɪk̚¹²¹⁻²¹ luan²²⁻²¹ sin¹³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /kuai¹¹⁻⁵³ liɪk̚⁴⁻³² luan³³⁻¹¹ sin²⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /kuai²¹⁻⁴¹ liɪk̚⁴⁻³² luan³³⁻²¹ sin²³/

Idiom

怪力亂神

1. (dated, literal) monstrousness, violence, rebellion and supernaturalism
2. (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.