虚幻 (xū huàn) — imaginary, illusory | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Describes something that only seems to exist — a feeling, scene, or world that is unreal or dreamlike. Unlike 虚假 (deliberately fake) or 虚拟 (hypothetical/virtual), 虚幻 emphasizes a sensory, illusion-like quality.

adjective

imaginaryillusory

Examples

虚幻。
Zhè zhǒng xū huàn de gǎn jué ràng wǒ bù ān.
This illusory feeling makes me uneasy.
虚幻。
Tā fēn bù qīng xiàn shí hé xū huàn.
He can't tell reality from illusion.
虚幻。
Nà ge gù shi chōng mǎn le xū huàn de xiǎng xiàng.
That story is full of imaginary fantasies.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

幻huànillusory

虚 (empty) and 幻 (illusory) reinforce each other to describe something not real.

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 虛; 虚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

丘丘qiūhill

Sound part声符shēngfú

虍

虍hū虛xū

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 虛 pairs the upper 虍, which gives the sound, with a lower part shaped like 丘, 'hill'; the simplified 虚 is a later shorthand.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Abstract Concepts

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