Word · Frequency #19977
mirage
海市蜃楼；蜃景
an optical illusion caused by hot air near the ground, often looking like a pool of water
- 1.
An optical phenomenon in which light is refracted through a layer of hot air close to the ground, often giving the illusion of a body of water.
海市蜃楼；光线经贴近地面的热空气折射,常产生水面的幻象。
- 2.
an optical illusion in which atmospheric refraction by a layer of hot air distorts or inverts reflections of distant objects
热空气层导致大气折射,使远处物体反射变形或倒置的光学幻景
- 3.
An illusion.
幻象；幻觉。
- 4.
something illusory and unattainable
虚幻且不可企及的事物
幻象；幻想；虚幻的事物；海市蜃楼；光线经贴近地面的热空气折射,常产生水面的幻象。；热空气层导致大气折射,使远处物体反射变形或倒置的光学幻景；幻象；幻觉。；虚幻且不可企及的事物
In use
The shimmering water on the highway turned out to be a mirage caused by the heat.
For years, he chased the mirage of perfect happiness, only to find it unreachable.
In the desert, travelers often mistake mirages for real lakes.
a mirage of [sth]
of 后接幻象呈现的内容，如水面、绿洲等。
The mirage of an oasis made the hikers keep walking.
海市蜃楼中的绿洲让徒步者们继续往前走。
see a mirage
也可用复数形式 see mirages。
Thirsty travelers often see a mirage in the desert.
口渴的旅行者常常在沙漠里看到海市蜃楼。
no more than a mirage
用于强调某事物完全虚幻，常含失望语气。
Connections
Collocations
- a mirage of water
- 一片水的幻景
- The hot road ahead looked like a mirage of water.前方灼热的公路看上去像是水的幻景。
- see a mirage
- 看到海市蜃楼
- In the desert, tired travelers often see a mirage.在沙漠里，疲惫的旅行者常常看到海市蜃楼。
- chase a mirage
- 追逐幻影；追求虚幻之物
- She realized she had spent years chasing a mirage.她意识到自己多年来一直在追逐幻影。
- a mirage on the horizon
- 地平线上的蜃景
- The sailor saw a mirage on the horizon.水手看到地平线上的蜃景。
- disappear like a mirage
- 像海市蜃楼一样消失
- His hopes disappeared like a mirage.他的希望像海市蜃楼一样消失了。
Idioms & figurative uses
Learner notes
Memory Tip
看到词首的 mir 就联想到 mirror（镜子）：炎热地面像镜子一样折射光线，形成海市蜃楼般的幻象。
Context & Register
语域：neutral 常见场景：日常口语（比喻义）、书面描写（字面义） 该词指“海市蜃楼”等光学幻景，也常比喻虚幻或无法实现的事物。两种用法都比较常见，语气中性，口语和书面语均可用。
Grammar Note
可数名词，常见搭配 mirage of sth.
Pronunciation & Spelling
在 mirage /mɝˈɑʒ/ 中，重读元音 /ɑ/ 后接 /ʒ/。garage、barrage、montage、corsage 都有相同的重读尾音 /ɑʒ/，与 mirage 押韵。sabotage 虽以 /ɑʒ/ 结尾，但重音在第一个音节，不构成严格押韵。image /ˈɪmɪdʒ/ 的 -age 读 /ɪdʒ/，只是拼写近似，读音不同。另注意 mirage 与 mirror、miracle 拼写相近，但读音完全不同。
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.