海市蜃楼 Hǎi shì shèn lóu mirage

Explanation

海市蜃楼是一种光学现象，是由于光线在大气中发生折射和反射而形成的虚像。常出现在海边或沙漠地区，看起来像空中或地面出现楼台城郭等景象，但实际上并不存在。现在也比喻虚无缥渺的事物或不切实际的幻想。

A mirage is an optical phenomenon formed by the refraction and reflection of light in the atmosphere. It often appears in coastal or desert areas, looking like buildings and castles appearing in the air or on the ground, but they do not actually exist. Now, it is also used to describe something illusory or unrealistic fantasies.

Origin Story

在茫茫的大海上，一艘孤独的帆船在风浪中颠簸。船长是一位饱经沧桑的老水手，他一生都在海上漂泊，见过无数奇异的景象。一天，远方出现了一座宏伟的城市，高耸的建筑物直插云霄，宛如仙境一般。船长和船员们惊喜不已，以为自己发现了新的乐土。他们兴奋地驾船驶向那座城市，然而，随着距离的靠近，城市却逐渐模糊，最后消失得无影无踪，只留下空荡荡的海面。原来，那只是一座海市蜃楼，是大自然制造的一个美丽的谎言。

zài máng máng de dà hǎi shàng, yī sōu gū dú de fán chuán zài fēng làng zhōng diān bǒ. chuán zhǎng shì yī wèi bǎo jīng cāng sāng de lǎo shuǐ shǒu, tā yī shēng dōu zài hǎi shàng piāo bó, jiàn guò wú shù qí yì de jǐng xiàng. yī tiān, yuǎn fāng chū xiàn le yī zuò hóng wěi de chéng shì, gāo sǒng de jiàn zhù wù zhí chā yún xiāo, wǎn rú xiān jìng yī bān. chuán zhǎng hé chuán yuán men jīng xǐ bù yǐ, yǐ wéi zì jǐ fā xiàn le xīn de lè tǔ. tā men xīng fèn de jià chuán shǐ xiàng nà zuò chéng shì, rán ér, suí zhùo jù lí de kào jìn, chéng shì què zhú jiàn mó hu, zuì hòu xiāo shī de wú yǐng wú zōng, zhǐ liú xià kōng dàng dàng de hǎi miàn. yuán lái, nà zhǐ shì yī zuò hǎi shì shèn lóu, shì dà zì rán zhì zào de yī gè měi lì de huǎng yán.

On the vast ocean, a lonely sailboat tossed and turned in the waves. The captain was an old sailor who had experienced many hardships, and he had seen countless strange sights in his life at sea. One day, a magnificent city appeared in the distance, with towering buildings reaching into the sky, like a fairyland. The captain and crew were overjoyed, thinking they had discovered a new paradise. They excitedly steered the ship towards the city; however, as they approached, the city gradually blurred, and finally disappeared without a trace, leaving only the empty sea. It turned out to be a mirage, a beautiful lie created by nature.

Usage

海市蜃楼常用来比喻虚幻的事物或不切实际的幻想。

hǎi shì shèn lóu cháng yòng lái bǐ yù xū huàn de shì wù huò bù qiē shí jì de huàn xiǎng

Mirages are often used to describe something illusory or unrealistic fantasies.

Examples

• 那座海市蜃楼般的城市，充满了梦幻的色彩。

  nà zuò hǎi shì shèn lóu bàn de chéng shì, chōng mǎn le mèng huàn de sè cǎi

  That city, like a mirage, was full of dreamy colors.

• 这计划简直就是海市蜃楼，根本不可能实现。

  zhè jì huà jiǎn zhí jiù shì hǎi shì shèn lóu, gēn běn bù kě néng shí xiàn

  This plan is a mere mirage, it is simply impossible to achieve

Related Idioms

• 虚幻

• 缥缈

• 幻想

Opposite Idioms

• 真实

• 现实