Chinese word

妄想

Pronunciation

Pinyinwàng xiǎng

Meaning

  • noundelusion

Example

他的妄想让大家都担心。tā de wàng xiǎng ràng dà jiā dōu dān xīn

His delusion made everyone worry.

Illustration for 妄想 (delusion)

More examples

他因为压力太大，常常陷入妄想。tā yīn wèi yā lì tài dà cháng cháng xiàn rù wàng xiǎng

Under too much stress, he often becomes lost in delusion.

Core concept

An imagined idea drifts away from facts and may be held as if it were true.

Common phrases

  • 怀有妄想huái yǒu wàng xiǎng

    harbor delusions

  • 陷入妄想xiàn rù wàng xiǎng

    become lost in delusion

  • 妄想破灭wàng xiǎng pò miè

    shattered delusion

Similar words

幻想huàn xiǎng: A pleasant or hopeful picture of something that does not exist in reality.
空想kōng xiǎng: An imagined event or situation created freely in the mind rather than actually happening.
幻觉huàn jué: A false sight or sound experienced as if it were real.
错觉cuò jué: An incorrect way of sensing or interpreting something that is actually present.

Definition in Chinese

没有根据或违背事实的想法或设想，常指错误或过度坚持的信念。méi yǒu gēn jù huò wéi bèi shì shí de xiáng fǎ huò shè xiǎng cháng zhǐ cuò wù huò guò dù jiān chí de xìn niàn

Word origin

The compound joins 妄 (wàng, "groundless") and 想 (xiǎng, "thought"), giving the sense of a thought without a sound basis.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, the word usually sounds critical, so applying it to someone's idea can suggest that the idea is not merely mistaken but seriously unrealistic.

Other meanings

  • fantasynoun
  • daydreamnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 妄想癖wàng xiǎng pǐtendency to have delusionsnoun
  • 妄想狂wàng xiǎng kuángdelusional personnoun

Word lists with this word