<p>First, you have to understand what 成精 (become a spirit) means in Chinese superstition. The belief is, abnormally intelligent animals or objects that last a long time, by chance, absorbed enough essence of the Sun and Moon (日月精華) - think of it as the power of the universe, would gain the ability to assume human form, possess human-level emotion and intelligence. Depend on individual's character, luck, and deed, some would become minor gods(小神) and some would become demonic monsters (妖怪). All have magical power on different levels.</p>
<p>妖 means 'evil'. It is typically translated as 'demon' when it is used as a noun</p>
<p>When a 精 (spirit) is evil, we call it 妖精 and it is typically translated as 'demon' as well.</p>
<p>白娘子 - (a snake became a spirit) 白素貞 was not evil. She was the heroine in the love story 白蛇傳, therefore, we the reader see her as a <strong>snake spirit</strong> (蛇精), not a snake demon (蛇妖). But the characters in the story didn't make a distinction. She was referred to as a 妖精 by the people who opposed the relationship between her and the male main character.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-02T03:26:30.890Z
Quote:- "...a long time, by chance, absorbed enough essence of the Sun and Moon (日月精華) - think of it as the power of the universe, would gain the ability to assume human form, possess human-level emotion and intelligence..." When I used to read about these entities / beings, (in Chinese mythological novels), I equated this to the ancient Chinese fuzzy notion of Darwinian Evolution. That over eons, animals, (usually snakes or foxes, not sure why), would "evolve" to assume human form, (in looks and behavior), a kind of shape-shifting ability.
Wayne Cheah
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-02T01:08:07.857Z
2021-06-02T01:08:07.857Z
Tang Ho
<p>《白蛇传》 is a famous story about Mr. Xu and a 蛇精<br />
I do not know what 蛇精 should be translated to?<br />
Snake fairy? Well, but Snake fairy is 蛇仙 not 蛇精.<br />
Snake demon? But it looks like a human.<br />
Any suggestions?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-01T19:18:28.487Z
Snake jinx. 白娘子, while portraited as a pretty lovable lady in the story, she was actually considered a 妖精(怪) that threatens normal person's life, a bad character.
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-01T19:35:34.040Z
Or, snake genie.
r13
<translation>
Proper translation of 蛇精
# Proper translation of 蛇精

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-06-01)

《白蛇传》 is a famous story about Mr. Xu and a 蛇精  
I do not know what 蛇精 should be translated to?  
Snake fairy? Well, but Snake fairy is 蛇仙 not 蛇精.  
Snake demon? But it looks like a human.  
Any suggestions?

**Tags:** translation

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Snake jinx. 白娘子, while portraited as a pretty lovable lady in the story, she was actually considered a 妖精(怪) that threatens normal person's life, a bad character.  
> **username_1**: Or, snake genie.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2021-06-02. Score: 2

First, you have to understand what 成精 (become a spirit) means in Chinese superstition. The belief is, abnormally intelligent animals or objects that last a long time, by chance, absorbed enough essence of the Sun and Moon (日月精華) - think of it as the power of the universe, would gain the ability to assume human form, possess human-level emotion and intelligence. Depend on individual's character, luck, and deed, some would become minor gods(小神) and some would become demonic monsters (妖怪). All have magical power on different levels.

妖 means 'evil'. It is typically translated as 'demon' when it is used as a noun

When a 精 (spirit) is evil, we call it 妖精 and it is typically translated as 'demon' as well.

白娘子 - (a snake became a spirit) 白素貞 was not evil. She was the heroine in the love story 白蛇傳, therefore, we the reader see her as a **snake spirit** (蛇精), not a snake demon (蛇妖). But the characters in the story didn't make a distinction. She was referred to as a 妖精 by the people who opposed the relationship between her and the male main character.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: Quote:- "...a long time, by chance, absorbed enough essence of the Sun and Moon (日月精華) - think of it as the power of the universe, would gain the ability to assume human form, possess human-level emotion and intelligence..." When I used to read about these entities / beings, (in Chinese mythological novels), I equated this to the ancient Chinese fuzzy notion of Darwinian Evolution. That over eons, animals, (usually snakes or foxes, not sure why), would "evolve" to assume human form, (in looks and behavior), a kind of shape-shifting ability.  

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