Mogwai (Chinese culture)
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The word mogwai is the transliteration of the Cantonese word Template:Wikt-lang (Jyutping: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}; Standard Mandarin: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}; pinyin: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) meaning 'monster', 'evil spirit', 'devil' or 'demon'. The term {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} derives from the Sanskrit {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}), meaning 'evil beings' (literally 'death'). Examples include the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) and the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}), both derived ultimately from Indian lore through the influence of Buddhism.
Definition and disambiguation
{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} refers to demons in the religious sense ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is therefore used to refer to demons in the sense of both Buddhist and Christian scripture, and to truly evil spiritual entities.
While {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}), {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}), {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}), {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) are used loosely and interchangeably to refer to malevolent supernatural beings in literature, it is also clear that the characters have different specific connotations, as follows:
- {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (demons) can be distinguished from yaoguai {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (goblins, sprites), which refer to folkloric supernatural beings associated with abnormal phenomena ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref> and who are more akin in their nature and quality to the unseelie fae of European folklore.
- {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (demons) can be distinguished from gui 鬼 (ghosts), which in the usual sense refers primarily to souls of departed beings ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} refers to any strange phenomenon ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}})<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref> and can encompass both {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}), in addition to other aberrant beings, including mutants.
In Chinese folklore
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Types
Examples of Chinese demons include the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) and the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}), amongst others. Both the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} are derived from Indian folklore, and in the Chinese version, are violent and ferocious beings with sadistic tendencies.
{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}})
Bloodthirsty malevolent demons with ugly appearances derived from Indian legend and entering China through the influence of Buddhism. They are described as evil man-eaters of large appearance and stature, and capable of swift and terrifying flight.
In some texts, they are described as jailers in hell tasked with punishing criminals, or as guardians of scripture upon conversion to Buddhism.
They feature in Pu Song Ling's tale "The Raksha Country and the Sea Market"<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> as hideous beings that possess standards of beauty antithetical to that of the Chinese world, and whose society the protagonist has to cope with.
{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}})
The Chinese transliteration of the Sanskrit word {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}. Demons from Indian folklore that entered into Chinese mythology through the influence of Buddhism. They appear in the Chinese gods and demons fiction and records of the strange genres of literature. These include the 16th-century classic "Investiture of the Gods"<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Today {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is commonly employed as a metaphor to describe anyone who is both ferocious and unpleasant.
There are two categories of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} – those that fly through the air, and those that travel through the earth.
Air-traversing {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}})
Air-traversing {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) are described as flying through the night with a pair of wings and radiating a strange glowing darkness. They are variously said to have red, blue or yellow complexions and animal heads. They take pleasure in afflicting human beings.
Earth-traversing {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}})
Earth-traversing {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) are described as having flaming eyebrows, being several meters in height, and having a strange half-moon formation in between their eyes.
Rain demons
According to Chinese tradition, mogwai are certain demons which often inflict harm on humans. They are said to reproduce sexually during mating seasons triggered by the coming of rain. Supposedly, they take care to breed at these times because rain signifies rich and full times ahead.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Mara ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) origin
The term {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} derives from the Sanskrit {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}), meaning 'evil beings' (literally 'death'). In Hinduism and Buddhism, Mara determines fates of death and desire that tether people to an unending cycle of reincarnation and suffering. He leads people to sin, misdeeds, and self-destruction.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Meanwhile, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} does not necessarily mean 'evil' or demonic spirits. Classically, it simply means deceased spirits or souls of the dead. Nevertheless, in modern Mandarin, it has evolved to refer usually to the dead spirits or ghosts of non-family members that may take vengeance on living humans who caused them pain when they were still living. It is common for the living to redress their sins by sacrificing money to {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} by burning (usually fake) paper banknotes so that {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} can have funds to use in the afterlife.
See also
- Chinese mythology in popular culture
- Ghosts in Chinese culture
- Gremlins, 1984 American comedy horror film
- List of supernatural beings in Chinese folklore
- Space Monster, Wangmagwi, 1967 South Korean kaijū film
- Vengeful ghost