魑魅魍魎 chīmèiwǎngliǎng - ghosts and demons
This is a beautiful 成語 with dubious utility value and a rich background story. The expression consists of two parts, 魑魅 meaning mountain demons and 魍魎 meaning water demons, together they represent a motley assortment of goblins, devils and ghosts.
According to legend the Yellow Emperor did battle with the war deity Chi You (蚩尤), one of the descendants of the Yan Emperor. Chi You gathered the demons of the swamps, forests and mountains to serve as his army, and employed sorcery (most notably a poisonous mist) against the forces of the Yellow Emperor. Using a magical compass, the Yellow Emperor found his way out of the mist and Chi You was defeated.
魑魅魍魎 is notable for its many variations, the 魑 being written as both 螭 and 彲 and 魍魎 as 罔兩, 方良 and 蛧蜽.
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