虚 meaning and stroke order
Emptiness; void; abstract theory or guiding principles
How to write 虚, stroke by stroke
11 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
Meaning of 虚
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- emptiness
- void
- abstract theory or guiding principles
- empty or unoccupied
- diffident or timid
- false
How 虚 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A tiger 虍 stalking in the bushes 业.
Radical: 虍 (tiger), shared by 13 characters on this site.
How to remember 虚
Picture a tiger 虍 hiding in the bushes 业. You look and see only empty brush, so 虚 (xū) means empty, hollow, or not what it seems.
虚 rarely stands alone in modern speech. It mostly appears in words like 谦虚 (qiānxū, modest), 虚弱 (xūruò, weak), and 虚拟 (xūnǐ, virtual). Example: 他很谦虚。(Tā hěn qiānxū.) He is very modest.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 虚 with 处 (chù/chǔ) or 虎 (hǔ, tiger), which shares the 虍 top. Check the bottom part: 虚 has 业, while 虎 has 几.
Common words with 虚
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 虚心 | xūxīn | open-minded; humble | HSK 5 |
| 谦虚 | qiānxū | modest; self-effacing | HSK 6 |
| 虚弱 | xūruò | weak; in poor health | HSK 7-9 |
| 空虚 | kōngxū | hollow; emptiness | HSK 7-9 |
| 虚构 | xūgòu | to make up; fabrication | HSK 7-9 |
| 虚伪 | xūwěi | false; hypocritical | HSK 7-9 |
| 虚假 | xūjiǎ | false; phony; sham | HSK 7-9 |
| 虚拟 | xūnǐ | to imagine; to make up; fictitious; theoretical; hypothetical | HSK 7-9 |
| 虚幻 | xūhuàn | imaginary; illusory | HSK 7-9 |
| 弄虚作假 | nòngxū-zuòjiǎ | to practice fraud (idiom); by trickery | HSK 7-9 |
| 虚无 | xūwú | nothingness | |
| 虚张声势 | xūzhāngshēngshì | (idiom) to bluff; to bluster; to make an empty show of strength | |
| 虚荣 | xūróng | vanity | |
| 心虚 | xīnxū | lacking in confidence; diffident |
虚 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 虚
Learning 虚 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 虚
How many strokes are in 虚?
虚 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 虚 mean?
虚 (xū) means emptiness; void; abstract theory or guiding principles. A common word with it is 虚心 (xūxīn), meaning "open-minded; humble".
How do you pronounce 虚?
虚 is pronounced xū, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 虚?
The radical of 虚 is 虍, which carries the idea of "tiger". Dictionaries list 虚 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 虚?
The traditional form of 虚 is 虛. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 虚 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 虚 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 虚 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 虚 always negative?
No. In 虚心 (xūxīn) and 谦虚 (qiānxū) it is positive, meaning humble or open to learning. In 虚伪 (xūwěi) and 虚假 (xūjiǎ) it is negative, meaning fake.
How do you say virtual reality in Chinese?
Virtual reality is 虚拟现实 (xūnǐ xiànshí). 虚拟 (xūnǐ) is the standard word for virtual in tech contexts, as in 虚拟货币 (xūnǐ huòbì), virtual currency.