귀신

Even the same word often has multiple meanings depending on the context. Generally, '귀신' is a common noun referring to ghosts or evil spirits.

When interpreting 격암유록, the term '귀신' is an expression written by combining the Chinese characters 鬼 (gwi, meaning 마귀) and 神 (sin, meaning 하나님) in order. It emphasises the character arrangement itself, where '귀' comes before (above) '신', conveying the meaning that 마귀 precedes 하나님 (마귀 has suppressed 하나님). This worldview states that the heavenly kingdom of the Garden of Eden collapsed due to 마귀 and became a world of sin.

While serving in the military, 조희성 caught a thief by smell alone and even revealed the hiding place of money at a training camp in Jeju Island, and because of this, he earned the nickname '귀신'. In this instance, '귀신' refers to a miraculous, unimaginable talent.