Chinese word

幻影

Pronunciation

Pinyinhuàn yǐng

Meaning

  • nounillusion

Example

那只是幻影，不要害怕。nà zhǐ shì huàn yǐng bú yào hài pà

That is just an illusion; don't be afraid.

Illustration for 幻影 (illusion)

More examples

夜里我在窗外看见幻影一闪而过。yè lǐ wǒ zài chuāng wài kàn jiàn huàn yǐng yì shǎn ér guò

At night, I saw an illusion flash past outside the window.

Core concept

An image that seems to be there but cannot be grasped as a real object, whether seen or imagined.

Common phrases

  • 出现幻影chū xiàn huàn yǐng

    an illusion appears

  • 看见幻影kàn jiàn huàn yǐng

    see an illusion

Similar words

幻觉huàn jué: A state in which the senses seem to detect something that does not exist.
错觉cuò jué: A false impression that results from a mistake in perception or thinking.
假象jiǎ xiàng: An outward sign that looks true for a time but conceals the real situation.
幻想huàn xiǎng: An imagined picture or idea that is not grounded in reality.

Definition in Chinese

无真实存在的影子或像，往往给人虚幻、难以捉摸的感觉，可用来描述视觉错觉或比喻性的心理印象。wú zhēn shí cún zài de yǐng zi huò xiàng wáng wǎng gěi rén xū huàn nán yǐ zhuō mō de gǎn jué kě yòng lái miáo shù shì jué cuò jué huò bǐ yù xìng de xīn lǐ yìn xiàng

Word origin

幻 (huàn, "illusory") + 影 (yǐng, "shadow or image") forms a picture with no solid thing behind it.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this word can make a description sound poetic or dramatic, especially when a scene has an unreal or dreamlike quality.

Other meanings

  • virtual imagenoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word