📖 Meaning
To kneel and pray to ghosts and deities, seeking their protection and blessings. The idiom describes superstitious behavior where one turns to supernatural forces rather than taking practical action. It often carries a dismissive tone implying such practices are futile or foolish.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from a poem titled "San Tai" by the Tang dynasty poet Wang Jian. The poem depicts a young wife by a bridge in Yangzhou and a merchant in the Changgan market, both separated from their loved ones for three years without any news. In their desperation and helplessness, each turns to worshiping ghosts and praying to spirits for protection. Wang Jian used this scene to portray the sorrow of separation and the instinctive resort to superstition in times of distress.
💡 Example Usage
生病了不去看医生，却跑去拜鬼求神，真是愚昧。
Instead of seeing a doctor when sick, he went to worship ghosts and pray to spirits—how foolish.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 拜鬼求神
- Pinyin: bài guǐ qiú shén
- Literal Translation: bow to, ghosts, pray to, spirits
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4