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幻像 (huàn xiàng) — phantom image, illusion (visual)

Definition

A visual illusion or mirage — something seen that is not really there. Note the spelling 幻像 (not 想象 'imagination'), and a close relative 幻影 leans more toward 'phantom/ghost image'.

noun
phantom imageillusion (visual)

Examples

  • 幻像。
    Tā kàn dào le yí gè qí guài de huàn xiàng.
    He saw a strange phantom image.
  • 幻像。
    Shā mò zhōng de huàn xiàng cháng cháng ràng rén mí shī fāng xiàng.
    Mirages in the desert often make people lose their way.
  • 幻像。
    Kē xué jiā zhèng zài yán jiū zhè ge huàn xiàng xíng chéng de yuán yīn.
    Scientists are studying the cause of this phantom image formation.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

幻huànphantom
像xiàngimage

幻 gives the sense of illusion and 像 gives image, so together they mean a phantom image.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 幻 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
象
象xiàng像
Same sound today

像 uses 亻, the side form of 人 (person), with 象 giving the sound.

Open 像 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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