虚构

• Pinyin: xū gòu
• Hanzi breakdown: 虚 = 虍 + 业 (empty/false); 构 = 木 + 冓 (construct/frame)

Meaning

To fabricate; to make up; fiction. Creating something imaginary or false, especially a narrative, story, or claim.

Used in literary criticism (虚构作品 = fiction), legal contexts (虚构事实 = fabricating facts), and everyday speech for inventing falsehoods. Contrasts with 纪实 (documentary/nonfiction).

Examples

1. 这部小说的情节完全属于虚构，与现实中的任何人物或事件均无关联。 The plot of this novel is entirely fictional and has no connection to any real people or events.
2. 法院认定被告在庭审中虚构了关键证据，判决其承担相应的法律责任。 The court found that the defendant had fabricated key evidence during the trial and ruled that he must bear the corresponding legal responsibility.
3. 优秀的虚构作品能够在想象的世界中揭示深刻的人性真相。 Great works of fiction can reveal profound truths about human nature through imagined worlds.

Usage Guide

Context: literature, law, media, academic

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这篇报道中存在虚构成分，编辑部已就此向读者公开致歉。(This article contains fabricated content, and the editorial team has publicly apologised to readers.)
• 文学中的虚构并非谎言，而是通过想象探索人类经验的一种方式。(Fabrication in literature is not deception but a way to explore human experience through imagination.)

Don't Say

• 虚构一个好想法 — 虚构 implies falseness or invention of non-existent things; for positive creative ideas use 构思 or 设想 instead

Origin & History

虚 (empty/false) + 构 (construct/build) — to construct something without real substance

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal