The word 虚拟 (xūnǐ) is formed through the combination of two distinct characters: 虚 (xū), meaning "empty", "void", or "unreal", and 拟 (nǐ), meaning "to draft", "to plan", or "to imitate". Together, they create a compound word where the first character describes a state of non-reality or abstraction, and the second character contributes the sense of designing or simulating that state. Thus, 虚拟 literally conveys the idea of "imitating the unreal" or "simulating something that is not physically existent", which perfectly encapsulates the modern meaning of "virtual", as in virtual reality (虚拟现实) or virtual currency (虚拟货币).