The difference between 反应 and 反映

反应

The verb 反应

has the meaning "to react", "to respond". The noun 反应 has the meaning "reaction", "response".

Examples

我等着看她如何反应

I'm waiting to see her reaction

wǒ děngzhe kàn tā rúhé fǎnyìng

我的脑子没有马上反应过来

My brain didn't respond immediately

wǒ de nǎozi méiyǒu mǎshàng fǎnyìngguòlái

他们听到这个消息有什么反应？

How did they react to the news?

tāmen tīngdào zhè ge xiāoxi yǒu shénme fǎnyìng

他有点害怕他父亲的反应

He was a little afraid of his father's reaction

tā yǒudiǎn hàipà tā fùqin de fǎnyìng

反映

The verb 反映

is used when talking about the essence of things.

Pay attention

In a sentence, 反映 can be followed by an object, whereas 反应 cannot.

Examples

穿着常常反映出一个人的个性

Clothes often reflect a person's character

chuānzhuó chángcháng fǎnyìngchū yí ge rén de gèxing

眼睛是心情的反映

The eyes are the mirror of the soul

yǎnjing shì xīnqíng de fǎnyìng

这一决定反映了政治形势的真实情况

This decision reflects the real political situation

zhè yì juédìng fǎnyìng le zhèngzhì xíngshì de zhēnshí qíngkuàng

反映 cannot be used as a noun.

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