The present invention relates to the technical fields of optical imaging, microwave imaging, radar detection, sonar, ultrasonic imaging, and target detection, imaging identification and wireless communication based on media such as sound, light and electricity, and in particular, to a fast imaging method suitable for passive imaging and active imaging and application of the fast imaging method in the above fields. According to the method provided by the present invention, image field distribution corresponding to a target is achieved based on a lens imaging principle, in combination with an electromagnetic field theory, according to a target signal received by an antenna array, through the amplitude and phase weighting of a unit signal and by using an efficient parallel algorithm. The method provided by the present invention has the advantages of capability of being compatible with passive imaging and holographic imaging, good imaging effect, small operation amount, low hardware cost, high imaging speed and suitability for long-distance imaging, and can be widely applied in the fields of optical imaging, microwave imaging, radar detection, sonar, ultrasonic imaging, and target detection, imaging identification and wireless communication based on media such as sound, light and electricity.