一切經音義 2.206

2.206

鬼魅 (The upper character is pronounced 歸 + 葦 [*guǐ*]. The *Shuowen* says: 'That to which people return (歸); when a person dies they become a ghost (鬼).' It takes 甶, 人, and 厶 as semantic components; 厶 denotes deceit. The *Chunqiu zhuan* says: 'Whenever a ghost has a place to return to, it does not become a malevolent spirit; this is the perfection of harmony.' The ancient form was written as 𩲡. 甶 is pronounced 弗 [*fú*], depicting a ghost's head; 厶 is pronounced 私 [*sī*]. The lower character is pronounced 眉 + 祕 [*mèi*]. The *Shanhaijing* says: 'The creature called 魅 has a human body, a black head, and vertical eyes.' The *Kaosheng* says: 'A demonic and spectral monstrous spirit.' The *Shuowen* says: 'The essence of an aged being.' It takes 鬼 as semantic classifier and 末 as phonetic component; sometimes written with [示*末]. The *Shenglei* writes it as 𩲐; all these are ancient forms).