妖

Typical phono-semantic compound:

女 — provides meaning "woman," but in ancient Chinese also used to indicate feminine, soft, mysterious qualities.

夭 — provides sound (yāo, yo), but also suggests “unnaturalness,” “abnormal bending,” “premature death,” hence giving 妖 a sense of strangeness or instability.

Thus the earliest meaning is:

a woman (or entity) possessing strange, alluring, or unnatural qualities.

Over time the meaning broadened to anything supernatural, uncanny, or seductive—regardless of gender.

요괴 (妖怪) — monster

요사스럽다 (妖邪) — wicked, uncanny

요염하다 (妖艶) — seductive, voluptuous

요기 (妖氣) — strange/demonic energy

妖 does not originally mean “woman,” even though 女 is present—it refers more to supernatural, strange qualities, not gender.

In Daoist and Chinese folklore, 妖 refers to transforming spirits (狐妖, 蛇妖, etc.).

In modern fantasy media, 妖 is widely used in naming supernatural beings.

Semantic domains:

In East Asian literature, 妖 often expresses dangerous beauty — lovely yet ominous.

The positive meaning “marvelous beauty” appears frequently in Tang poetry.

Positive senses:

- graceful, alluring beauty

- mystical elegance

- enchanting charm

Negative senses:

- demonic or evil spirits

- abnormal phenomena

- bad omens

- seductive danger