Meaning of 像
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to resemble
- to be like
- to look as if
- such as
- appearance
- image
- portrait
- image under a mapping (math.)
How to use 像
As a verb, 像 means to resemble or look like, and it often pairs with 一样 to say A is like B. It also appears in nouns about images, such as 偶像 (ǒuxiàng, idol) and 录像 (lùxiàng, video recording). Example: 他长得很像他爸爸。(Tā zhǎng de hěn xiàng tā bàba.) He looks a lot like his dad.
像 is made of the person radical 亻 plus 象 (xiàng, elephant), which also gives the sound. Picture a person posing like an elephant to imitate it, so the person looks like something else.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 像 with 象 and 向, which are also pronounced xiàng. Use 像 with the person radical for resembling and for portraits, 象 for elephant and in words like 印象 (yìnxiàng, impression), and 向 for direction, as in 向前 (xiàng qián, forward).
像 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
像 xiàng · to resemble · 13 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 像.
| 好像 | hǎoxiàng | as if; to seem like |
| 摄像机 | shèxiàngjī | video camera |
| 偶像 | ǒuxiàng | idol |
| 摄像 | shèxiàng | to videotape |
| 录像 | lùxiàng | to videotape; to videorecord |
| 音像 | yīnxiàng | audio and video; audiovisual |
| 影像 | yǐngxiàng | image |
| 图像 | túxiàng | image; picture; graphic |
| 像样 | xiàngyàng | presentable; decent |
| 肖像 | xiàoxiàng | portrait (painting, photo etc); (in a general sense) representation of a person |
| 不像话 | bùxiànghuà | unreasonable; shocking |
| 想像 | xiǎngxiàng | to imagine; to envision; imagination |
Questions about 像
What does 像 mean?
像 (xiàng) means "to resemble; to be like" and is used as a verb and noun.
How do you write 像?
像 is made of 1 character: 像 (13 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 像 an HSK word?
Yes. 像 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 像 and 好像?
像 directly says one thing resembles another, as in 她像她妈妈 (She looks like her mom). 好像 (hǎoxiàng) adds a sense of seeming or guessing, as in 好像要下雨了 (It seems like it is going to rain).
How do I use 像 to give examples, like 'such as'?
Put 像 before a list of examples, often followed by a summary. For instance, 像苹果、香蕉这样的水果我都喜欢 (Xiàng píngguǒ, xiāngjiāo zhèyàng de shuǐguǒ wǒ dōu xǐhuan) means I like fruits such as apples and bananas.