mental image; mental picture; image
Refers to an image formed in the mind, often used in literary, psychological, or introspective contexts. Not a concrete picture or photograph.
From that poem, a lonely countryside mental image comes to mind.
Listening to his story, a vivid mental picture spread in my mind.
imagined landscape; mental scenery
Compound of 心 (heart, mind) and 象 (image, phenomenon). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination naturally yields the meaning 'mental image'.