牛鬼蛇神

Either cow demons or snake spirits can trace their roots back to Buddhist sutras. As a chengyu first attested in 831 in Du Mu's Preface to the Songs and Poems of Li He:

雲煙綿聯，不足為其態也；水之迢迢，不足為其情也；春之盎盎，不足為其和也；秋之明潔，不足為其格也；風檣陣馬，不足為其勇也；瓦棺篆鼎，不足為其古也；時花美女，不足為其色也；荒國陊殿，梗莽丘壟，不足為其恨怨悲愁也；鯨呿鼇擲，牛鬼蛇神，不足為其虛荒誕幻也。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]

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云烟绵联，不足为其态也；水之迢迢，不足为其情也；春之盎盎，不足为其和也；秋之明洁，不足为其格也；风樯阵马，不足为其勇也；瓦棺篆鼎，不足为其古也；时花美女，不足为其色也；荒国陊殿，梗莽丘垄，不足为其恨怨悲愁也；鲸呿鳌掷，牛鬼蛇神，不足为其虚荒诞幻也。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

From: c. 831, 杜牧, 《〈李賀集〉序》, translated by J. D. Frodsham

Yúnyān miánlián, bùzú wéi qí tài yě; shuǐ zhī tiáotiáo, bùzú wéi qí qíng yě; chūn zhī àng'àng, bùzú wéi qí hé yě; qiū zhī míngjié, bùzú wéi qí gé yě; fēngqiáng zhènmǎ, bùzú wéi qí yǒng yě; wǎguān zhuàndǐng, bùzú wéi qí gǔ yě; shíhuā měinǚ, bùzú wéi qí sè yě; huāng guó duò diàn, gěng mǎng qiū lǒng, bùzú wéi qí hèn yuàn bēi chóu yě; jīng qù áo zhì, niú guǐ shé shén, bùzú wéi qí xū huāng dàn huàn yě. [Pinyin]

Clouds and mist gently intermingling cannot describe his manner; illimitable waters cannot describe his feelings; the verdure of spring cannot describe his warmth; the clarity of autumn cannot describe his style; a mast in the wind, a horse in the battle-line cannot describe his courage; earthenware coffins and tripods with seal-characters cannot describe his antiquity; seasonal blossoms and lovely girls cannot describe his ardour; fallen kingdoms and ruined palaces, thorny thickets and gravemounds cannot describe his resentment and sorrow; whales yawning, turtles spurting, ox-ghosts and serpent-spirits cannot describe his wildness and extravagance.

牛鬼蛇神

1. (figurative) all sorts of bad things, especially people
2. (historical, politics) cow demons and snake spirits
   • 1957, Mao Zedong, “文匯报的資产阶級方向应当批判”, in 人民日報‎^[1], page 1:

     有人說，这是陰謀。我們說，这是陽謀。因为事先告訴了敌人：牛鬼蛇神只有讓它們出籠，才好歼灭它們，毒草只有讓他們出土，才便于鋤掉。 [MSC, trad.]
     有人说，这是阴谋。我们说，这是阳谋。因为事先告诉了敌人：牛鬼蛇神只有让它们出笼，才好歼灭它们，毒草只有让他们出土，才便于锄掉。 [MSC, simp.]

     Yǒurén shuō, zhè shì yīnmóu. Wǒmen shuō, zhè shì yángmóu. Yīnwèi shìxiān gàosù le dírén: niúguǐshéshén zhǐyǒu ràng tāmen chūlóng, cái hǎo jiānmiè tāmen, dúcǎo zhǐyǒu ràng tāmen chūtǔ, cái biànyú chúdiào. [Pinyin]

     Some would say, this is a covert scheme. We would say, this is an overt strategy. This position is predicated on the rationale that cow demons and snake spirits must be permitted to manifest themselves before systematic annihilation becomes feasible, just as harmful speech or writing must be exposed through public articulation to enable their comprehensive eradication.

• (Hokkien) 紅蛇赤鼠／红蛇赤鼠