mirage

/ˈmɪrɑːʒ/ (bre, ipa) · /məˈrɑːʒ/ (ame, ipa) · /mə-ˈräzh/ (ame, mw)

mirage — 名詞

  • miragesingular
  • miragesplural

1. a false image that appears in hot places like deserts or long stretches of road,

1.名詞C1
釋義

海市蜃樓

熱空氣折射造成的視覺幻象

a false image that appears in hot places like deserts or long stretches of road, where bent light makes you think distant water or objects are nearby when nothing is actually there.

例句

Yael pointed at the shimmering water ahead, but Hugo said it was only a mirage.

Yael 指著前方閃爍的水光，但 Hugo 說那只是海市蜃樓。

typical scenario: shimmering 'water' on hot road

The thirsty hikers chased what looked like a lake across the sand, only to find another empty mirage.

口渴的登山客穿越沙漠追著看似湖泊的景象，結果又是一場空蕩的海市蜃樓。

collocation: chase a mirage in the desert

同義詞
  • optical illusion

    broader umbrella term; covers many tricks of vision, not only the heat-related desert image

  • hallucination

    involves the mind inventing what isn't there; mirage is real bent light, not a brain error

用法筆記

Countable; often preceded by 'a' and the indefinite reading is the norm. Common collocations are 'see a mirage', 'chase a mirage', and 'shimmer like a mirage'. The literal sense is what readers picture first; sense 2 is the figurative extension.

常見錯誤

❌I drank a mirage in the desert.
✅I saw a mirage in the desert.
💡a mirage is something you see, not something physical you can touch or drink.

2. a hope, goal, or imagined success that looks reachable from a distance but turns

2.名詞C1
釋義

幻想；空想

看似可及卻無法實現的願景

a hope, goal, or imagined success that looks reachable from a distance but turns out to be impossible once you get closer to it.

例句

For many young actors, fame in Hollywood turns out to be a mirage that disappears once the auditions begin.

對許多年輕演員而言，好萊塢的成名只是一場幻想，試鏡一開始就消失了。

abstract reference: hope of success that fades

Yasmin realised that the promised promotion was a mirage when the manager kept delaying her review.

當主管不斷拖延她的考核時，Yasmin 才意識到那次升遷只是空想一場。

pattern: X turns out to be a mirage

同義詞
  • illusion

    more general; any false belief, not specifically a hope that proved unreachable

  • pipe dream

    informal; emphasises unrealistic fantasy from the start, whereas a mirage often looks plausible at first

  • fantasy

    stronger sense of being purely imagined; mirage suggests something briefly appeared attainable

反義詞
  • reality

    what is actually true and reachable

文法句型

mirage of + abstract noun

用法筆記

Countable; very often used as a metaphor with the literal sense in mind ('water that isn't really there'). Subject is typically an abstract goal: fame, wealth, peace, security. Distinguish from sense 1, where a real visual effect exists; here nothing is being seen, only imagined.

常見錯誤

❌Her dream is a mirage because she works hard.
✅Her dream of becoming a doctor turned out to be a mirage despite years of hard work.
💡'mirage' implies the goal cannot be reached, not that the person isn't trying.