Chinese word

虚构

Pronunciation

Pinyinxū gòu

Meaning

  • verbmake up

Example

他虚构了那个故事。tā xū gòu le nà ge gù shì

He made up that story.

Illustration for 虚构 (make up)

More examples

为了掩盖真相，他虚构了几条证据。wèi le yǎn gài zhēn xiàng tā xū gòu le jǐ tiáo zhèng jù

To cover up the truth, he fabricated several pieces of evidence.

Core concept

The intentional shaping of unreal material into something that can function as a real account or a complete story.

Common phrases

  • 虚构故事xū gòu gù shì

    invent a story

  • 虚构事实xū gòu shì shí

    invent facts

  • 虚构证据xū gòu zhèng jù

    fabricate evidence

Similar words

编造biān zào: Make up false stories, figures, or details for use in an explanation or record.
捏造niē zào: Deliberately invent a convenient false story or piece of evidence to hide the truth.
伪造wěi zào: Make a document, seal, or other item look genuine for use as the real thing.
造假zào jiǎ: Make a fake product or piece of material appear to be genuine.

Definition in Chinese

有意识地制造虚假的内容，使其呈现为事实或真实经历。yǒu yì shí dì zhì zào xū jiǎ de nèi róng shǐ qí chéng xiàn wèi shì shí huò zhēn shí jīng lì

Word origin

虚构 (xūgòu, "make up") combines 虚 (xū, "false or empty") + 构 (gòu, "construct"), giving the image of content deliberately built from what is not true.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, applying this word to a person's account sounds like a direct accusation, but applying it to a novel or story simply marks the content as invented.

Other meanings

  • fictionaladjective
  • fictionnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 虚构性xū gòu xìngfictionalitynoun
  • 虚构化xū gòu huàfictionalizeverb
  • 虚构主义xū gòu zhǔ yìfictionalismnoun

Word lists with this word