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错觉 (cuò jué) — illusion (especially sensory or perceptual); misconception, mistaken belief

Definition

错觉 is a false perception or mistaken belief the mind produces, often sensory. It is more concrete and perceptual than the broader 幻想, and more everyday than the clinical 幻觉 (hallucination).

noun
illusion (especially sensory or perceptual)misconceptionmistaken belief

Examples

  • 错觉。
    Zhè zhǒng shì jué cuò jué ràng hěn duō rén yǐ wéi shuǐ lǐ yǒu yú.
    This visual illusion makes many people think there are fish in the water.
  • ，错觉。
    Tā zǒng jué de zì jǐ hěn cōng ming, qí shí shì yì zhǒng cuò jué.
    He always thinks he's very smart, but it's actually a misconception.
  • 错觉，。
    Shí jiān guò dé kuài zhǐ shì wǒ men de cuò jué, shí jì shang měi fēn měi miǎo dōu yí yàng cháng.
    Time passing quickly is just our illusion; in reality every minute and second is the same length.

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.

错cuòwrong
觉juéperception

错觉 is a 觉, a perception, that is 错, wrong.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 錯; 错 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
昔
昔xī錯cuò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 錯 pairs 金 (metal) with 昔 as a sound part; the simplified 错 is a later abbreviation.

Open 错 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 覺; 觉 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
見見jiànsee
Sound part声符shēngfú
𦥯
𦥯𦥯覺jué
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 覺 pairs 見, a part that means see, with 𦥯, a part that gives the sound; simplified 觉 is a later abbreviation.

Open 觉 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Thinking & Cognition

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