Chinese word

虚幻

Pronunciation

Pinyinxū huàn

Meaning

  • adjectivefanciful

Example

你的想法太虚幻，不太现实。nǐ de xiáng fǎ tài xū huàn bú tài xiàn shí

Your idea is too fanciful and not very realistic.

Illustration for 虚幻 (fanciful)

More examples

他被虚幻的世界吸引，忽视了眼前的问题。tā bèi xū huàn de shì jiè xī yǐn hū shì le yǎn qián de wèn tí

He was drawn to the fanciful world and ignored the problems in front of him.

Core concept

A hazy, dreamlike quality that feels beautiful or intriguing but cannot be firmly grasped.

Common phrases

  • 虚幻的世界xū huàn de shì jiè

    fanciful world

  • 虚幻的想法xū huàn de xiáng fǎ

    fanciful idea

  • 虚幻的希望xū huàn de xī wàng

    fanciful hope

Similar words

不真实bù zhēn shí: Seeming false or unreal because it does not agree with what is actually true.
梦幻mèng huàn: Beautifully unreal and dreamlike, creating a charming scene that feels far from ordinary life.
朦胧méng lóng: Blurred and indistinct, so the shape, details, or overall situation is not clear.
虚构xū gòu: Created from imagination instead of being real, factual, or based on actual events.

Definition in Chinese

用来描述短暂、飘渺或不易把握的感觉或场景，通常带有神秘或浪漫色彩，而非指具体事实。yòng lái miáo shù duǎn zàn piāo miǎo huò bú yì bǎ wò de gǎn jué huò cháng jǐng tōng cháng dài yǒu shén mì huò làng màn sè cǎi ér fēi zhǐ jù tǐ shì shí

Word origin

虚 (xū, "empty") + 幻 (huàn, "illusion") combines the ideas of emptiness and an imagined image, giving the word its sense of something dreamlike rather than solidly real.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may hear a dreamy description as wholly positive, but in practical conversation this word can also signal that an idea lacks a solid basis, so its tone depends on context.

Other meanings

  • unrealisticadjective

Opposites

Related words

  • 虚幻性xū huàn xìngunrealitynoun
  • 虚幻感xū huàn gǎnsense of unrealitynoun

Word lists with this word