# 镜花水月

jìng huā shuǐ yuè

Be beautiful but unattainable or illusory

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Flowers in a mirror and the moon in water

**Traditional Chinese:** 鏡花水月

**Register:** Reflective · literary

[Perspective](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/perspective)

## When to use it

Describe appealing images or hopes without tangible substance.

Not simply optimism; the desired thing is elusive or unreal.

## Understanding the expression

A reflected flower and a moon on water can be seen but not held. The expression compares that attractive appearance to a hope or impression that cannot become a tangible possession. It may describe illusion, elusive beauty, or an unrealistic promised future. The tone can be poetic rather than purely dismissive. A sentence should explain what lacks substance, distinguishing a difficult but workable goal from an image that disappears when someone tries to grasp it.

## Examples

没有合同保障，承诺不过镜花水月。

### Traditional Chinese

沒有合同保障，承諾不過鏡花水月。

méi yǒu hé tong bǎo zhàng ， chéng nuò bú guò jìng huā shuǐ yuè 。

Without contractual protection, the promise is insubstantial.

他发现轻松致富只是镜花水月。

### Traditional Chinese

他發現輕鬆致富只是鏡花水月。

tā fā xiàn qīng sōng zhì fù zhǐ shì jìng huā shuǐ yuè 。

He found effortless wealth to be an illusion.

诗中描写镜花水月般的美。

### Traditional Chinese

詩中描寫鏡花水月般的美。

shī zhōng miáo xiě jìng huā shuǐ yuè bān de měi 。

The poem portrays elusive, reflected beauty.

别把镜花水月当成可靠计划。

### Traditional Chinese

別把鏡花水月當成可靠計劃。

bié bǎ jìng huā shuǐ yuè dàng chéng kě kào jì huà 。

Do not mistake an appealing illusion for a reliable plan.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E9%8F%A1%E8%8A%B1%E6%B0%B4%E6%9C%88)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=660&webMd=1&la=0)

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