海市蜃景 hǎishìshènjǐng mirage Origin Definitions Defs Strokes Stroke Words Sentences Sents 海市 hǎishì noun mirage mirage, used both literally and figuratively; abbreviation for the phrase 海市蜃楼 hǎishìshènlóu蜃景 shènjǐng mirage An optical illusion caused by the refraction of light through layers of air at different temperatures, typically appearing as cities or buildings above a sea or desert.