魅 (mèi): demon, magic, to charm
魅 (mèi) is a Chinese character meaning “demon.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 鬼 (structural) and 未 (structural). It ranks #2535 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 魅 a forest 未 demon 鬼; 未 also provides the pronunciation. Its radical form 鬼 (ghost) appears in many related characters such as 鬼 (guǐ, disembodied spirit), 魁 (kuí, chief), 魂 (hún, soul).
Definitions
- demon
- magic
- to charm
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA forest 未 demon 鬼; 未 also provides the pronunciation
Decomposition: ⿺鬼未 (layout: surround-from-lower-left)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 魅 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 魅
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 鬼魅noun | guǐ mèi | demon |
| 人格魅力noun | rén gé mèi lì | personal charm |
| 有魅力 | yǒu mèi lì | attractive |
| 魅力四射 | mèi lì sì shè | glamorous |
| 歌剧院魅影 | gē jù yuàn mèi yǐng | The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber |
| 去魅verb | qù mèi | to become disenchanted |
| 魅影 | mèi yǐng | phantom (esp. of Western fantasy) |
| 魅惑verb | mèi huò | to bewitch |
| 魑魅魍魉phrase | chī mèi wǎng liǎng | (idiom) all kinds of malevolent or mischievous spirits |
| 魑魅noun | chī mèi | spirits and devils (usually harmful) |
| 祛魅verb | qū mèi | to become disenchanted |
魅 appears in 12 compound words: 33 as the first character, 33 as the last, and 33 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 魅 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (1)
the four demons chi, mei, wang and liang; demons and monsters of all kinds
the four demons chi, mei, wang and liang; demons and monsters of all kinds
Example Sentences
我在字典里查到了魅字的详细解释。
wǒ zài zì diǎn lǐ chá dào le mèi zì de xiáng xì xiè shì .
I looked up the detailed explanation of the character "魅" in the dictionary.
...博市灯会／刀光棍影齐出 少林功夫院展武术魅力
. . . bó shì dēng huì dāo guāng gùn yǐng qí chū shǎo lín gōng fū yuàn zhǎn wǔ shù mèi lì
...Boshi Lantern Festival / Swords and Staffs on Display: Shaolin Kung Fu Academy Showcases the Allure of Martial Arts
挟阳光女子票房魅力 “兰佩CP”嗨翻东浪
xié yáng guāng nǚ zǐ piào fáng mèi lì lán pèi C P 嗨 fān dōng làng
Riding on the Box Office Success of "Sunshine Girl," the "Lanpei Couple" Wows the East Wave Festival
感受嘉南魅力!市府拟串联接驳 兰展、灯会一日游
gǎn shòu jiā nán mèi lì ! shì fǔ nǐ chuàn lián jiē bó lán zhǎn , dēng huì yī rì yóu
Feel the charm of Jianan! The city government plans to connect the orchid exhibition and lantern festival one-day tour
品读年文化的独特魅力,纪念自己与春节之间的精神性故事
pǐn dòu nián wén huà de dú tè mèi lì , jì niàn zì jǐ yǔ chūn jié zhī jiān de jīng shén xìng gù shì
Taste the unique charm of New Year's culture and commemorate the spiritual story between yourself and the Spring Festival
...“年破2200万人次”称霸全台!网揭3大魅力:每年必去
. . . nián pò 2 2 0 0 wàn rén cì chèn bà quán tái ! wǎng jiē 3 dà mèi lì : měi nián bì qù
"Annual breakthrough of 22 million people" dominates Taiwan! The Internet reveals 3 major charms: must go every year
魅力冲击视觉，美德征服心灵。
Mèilì chōngjī shìjué, měidé zhēngfú xīnlíng.
Charms strike the sight, but merit wins the soul.
“她又有魅力又风趣！” “那她会做饭吗？” “谁在乎？”
"tā yòu yǒumèilì yòu fēngqù!" "nà tā huì zuòfàn ma?" "shéi zàihu?"
"She's not only beautiful but also humorous." "Can she cook?" "Who cares?"
她是个有有魅力的女性。
Tā shì gè yǒu yǒumèilì de nǚxìng.
She is a charming woman.
旧村屋有它自己一定的魅力。
Jiù cūn wū yǒu tā zìjǐ yīdìng de mèilì.
The old cottage has a certain charm about it.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 魅 (mèi) mean in Chinese?
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What characters sound the same as 魅 (mèi)?
Is 魅 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 魅 with real-time feedback
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