also: さけむし · しゅちゅう
mythical alcohol-loving spirit inside a person
From the Chinese story 'Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio' (1740). A legendary creature said to live in a heavy drinker's body, causing an insatiable desire for alcohol; also fabled to turn water into wine.
The shuchū is said to be a worm that appears in Chinese ghost stories and causes a love of alcohol.
Standard kanji spelling; the reading さかむし is the most common modern pronunciation.
Alternate reading; less common than さかむし.
Sino-Japanese reading; mainly encountered in older or literary contexts.
From Chinese 酒虫 (jiǔchóng), literally 'alcohol bug/worm'. The concept originates from a story in Pu Songling's 'Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio' (Liaozhai Zhiyi).