HSK · Level 36
120 words
Chinese word
虚
Pronunciation
Pinyinxū
Meaning
- adjectivehollow
Example
失恋后他常常感到很虚。shī liàn hòu tā cháng cháng gǎn dào hěn xū
After the breakup, he often feels very hollow.
More examples
长期没有目标，容易感到虚。cháng qī méi yǒu mù biāo róng yì gǎn dào xū
When people have no goals for a long time, they can easily feel hollow.
Core concept
A person feels as if an inner space has lost its filling, leaving little sense of fullness.
Common phrases
感到虚gǎn dào xū
feel hollow
觉得虚jué de xū
feel hollow
对生活感到虚duì shēng huó gǎn dào xū
feel hollow about life
Similar words
空虚kōng xū: Feeling an inner emptiness marked by low satisfaction and loneliness.
空洞kōng dòng: Feeling an inner hole that makes emotions and meaning seem faint.
虚无xū wú: Feeling spiritually empty because the meaning and value of life seem lost.
Definition in Chinese
指内心感到空荡、缺乏满足或意义的状态。zhǐ nèi xīn gǎn dào kōng dàng quē fá mǎn zú huò yì yì de zhuàng tài
Word origin
The older meaning of 虚 (xū, "empty; void") refers to a lack of contents, and it extends naturally to a person who feels empty inside.
Usage tips
- In everyday conversation, this one-character adjective sounds somewhat literary, so longer expressions are more common when people describe this feeling.
Other meanings
- nothingnessnoun
- lonelyadjective
- vacantadjective
Opposites
- 充实chōng shífulfilledadjective
- 满足mǎn zúsatisfiedadjective