虚空 (xū kōng) — empty, void, lacking substance; unreal, illusory (especially in Buddhist context)

Definition

Literary word for 'void / emptiness' — often in a philosophical or Buddhist sense, meaning something that looks real but has no true substance. Stricter and more abstract than plain 空.

adjective
emptyvoidlacking substanceunrealillusory (especially in Buddhist context)

Examples

  • 虚空，。
    Tā gǎn dào rén shēng xū kōng, háo wú yì yì.
    He felt that life was empty and meaningless.
  • 虚空。
    Fó jiā rèn wéi wàn fǎ jiē xū kōng.
    Buddhists believe that all phenomena are empty.
  • 虚空，。
    Zhè zhǒng chéng nuò tài xū kōng le, wú fǎ xiāng xìn.
    This kind of promise is too empty to be believed.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

虚xūempty
空kōngvoid

虚 and 空 both express emptiness or voidness, reinforcing the sense of lacking substance.

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.

Open 虚 →

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
穴穴xuécave, hole
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng空kōng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

空 is built from 穴, a cave or hole, and 工, which gives the sound.

Open 空 →

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