According to the late 17th-century collection translated as Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, ghosts also have many close relatives--animal, plant and mineral spirits; demons, sprites and goblins of the hills and streams--so many, in fact, that the distinction between monsters and ghosts eventually becomes a bit blurred.
此外按照「聊齋誌異」裡的描述，鬼還有好多「近親」，例如動、植物或礦物集天地精氣而成形有靈者，稱為「妖」、「精」或「怪」。「魑魅魍魎」則是指山川之精。後來，「鬼怪」常連在一起說，彼此的界限也就模糊了。