影子

• Pinyin: yǐng zi
• Hanzi breakdown: 影 = 景 (scenery) + 彡 (rays), shadow or image; 子 = neutral noun suffix

Meaning

Shadow; silhouette; reflection. The dark shape cast by an object blocking light, or a faint image or trace of something.

Used both literally (the shadow of a tree, a person's shadow) and figuratively (a trace or ghost of something past). 影子 can also suggest something elusive or hard to grasp, e.g. 没有影子 (no trace at all).

Examples

1. 傍晚时分，树木的影子拉得很长，斜斜地铺在草地上。 In the evening, the shadows of the trees stretched long and lay diagonally across the grass.
2. 孩子们在院子里跑来跑去，踩着自己的影子玩耍。 The children ran around the courtyard, playing by stepping on their own shadows.
3. 那件事已经过去很久了，她心里还留着那段记忆的影子。 That event happened long ago, yet a shadow of that memory still lingers in her heart.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, literary

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 太阳一出来，影子就消失了。(Once the sun came out, the shadow disappeared.)
• 他的身影像影子一样悄悄地消失在人群中。(His figure slipped away like a shadow into the crowd.)

Don't Say

• 用'影子'来形容清晰、真实的图像 (Don't use 影子 for clear, real images — it implies something shadowy, faint, or intangible; use 图像 or 照片 for actual pictures)

Origin & History

A compound of 影 (shadow/image; 景 scenery + 彡 rays of light) and the neutral suffix 子. The character 影 originally depicted light and its resulting image.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal