📖 Meaning
Literally 'ghosts weeping and wolves howling.' It describes loud, wailing cries of grief, pain, or terror, with a sound so mournful and eerie it resembles the cries of spirits and beasts. Used for scenes of chaos, suffering, or frantic lamentation.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase traces to the Yuan dynasty zaju play 'Ma Ling Dao' (马陵道) by an anonymous author, where Act Two contains the line '可怎生神嚎鬼哭，雾惨云昏，白日为幽' (how is it that gods howl and ghosts weep, the fog is dismal and the clouds dark, broad day turned to dusk). The line depicts an ominous, unnatural gloom that descends as Sun Bin is ambushed and his troops destroyed at the Maling Pass. The image of spirits and wild beasts wailing conveys the horror and disorder of the moment. The saying was later quoted in Qing literature, notably Cao Xueqin's 'Dream of the Red Chamber' (Chapter 58), and survives as a stock expression for piteous, blood-curdling screaming.
💡 Example Usage
他半夜被噩梦惊醒，吓得鬼哭狼嚎，把全家人都吵醒了。
He woke from a nightmare in the middle of the night, screaming in sheer terror and waking the whole family.
🏷️ Category
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🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 鬼哭狼嚎
- Pinyin: guǐ kū láng háo
- Literal Translation: ghosts cry, wolves howl
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4