虚无缥缈

虛無縹緲

xūwúpiāomiǎo

idiom

Meanings

1 illusory and intangible
2 vague and elusive
3 shadowy and unreal

Characters

Examples

他的计划听起来虚无缥缈，没有可行性。

Tā de jìhuà tīng qǐlái xū wú piāo miǎo, méiyǒu kěxíngxìng.

His plan sounds vague and unfeasible.

仙山在云雾中虚无缥缈。

Xiānshān zài yúnwù zhōng xū wú piāo miǎo.

The fairy mountain shimmers elusively through the mist.

Tips

history

From Bai Juyi's 《长恨歌》: 忽闻海上有仙山，山在虚无缥缈间 — describing Penglai, the mythical immortal island Emperor Xuanzong's envoy seeks.

Stroke Order

虚 xū

无 wú

缥 piāo

缈 miǎo