reflection / mirror image
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reflection
The image you see when you look into a mirror or at another reflective surface.
Sie betrachtete kritisch ihr Spiegelbild, bevor sie das Haus verließ.
She looked critically at her reflection before leaving the house.
The word is made up of 'Spiegel' (mirror) and 'Bild' (image). So it literally means a 'Bild im Spiegel' (image in the mirror), which makes both meanings easier to understand.
Als sie in die Pfütze blickte, sah sie darin ihr Spiegelbild.
When she looked into the puddle, she saw her reflection in it.
In the literal meaning, 'Spiegelbild' (reflection) is often used with verbs of perception, for example 'sein Spiegelbild betrachten' (to look at one's reflection), 'im Spiegelbild erkennen' (to recognize in the reflection), or 'seinem Spiegelbild zulächeln' (to smile at one's reflection).
Er erschrak, als er sein müdes Spiegelbild in der Fensterscheibe sah.
He was startled when he saw his tired reflection in the windowpane.
The figurative meaning often follows the structure 'etwas ist ein Spiegelbild von etwas' (something is a reflection of something) or 'etwas ist ein Spiegelbild + genitive' (something is a reflection + genitive). This shows that one thing reflects the characteristics of another.
Die hohe Jugendarbeitslosigkeit ist ein trauriges Spiegelbild der wirtschaftlichen Probleme.
The high youth unemployment rate is a sad reflection of the economic problems.
picture / image
'das Bild' and 'das Spiegelbild' can both refer to something visible. 'Bild' is very general: it can be a photo, a painting, or a drawing. 'Spiegelbild' is more specific. It means the image created by a mirror or a reflective surface. Sometimes 'Spiegelbild' also means something that very strongly resembles another thing. Learners may confuse the words because a reflection is also a kind of image. But not every 'Bild' is a 'Spiegelbild'. If no reflection is meant, 'Bild' is correct.
Im Fenster sieht Anna am Abend ihr Spiegelbild.
In the evening, Anna sees her reflection in the window.
An der Wand hängt ein großes Bild von der Nordsee.
A large picture of the North Sea is hanging on the wall.