Meaning
shape; form; appearance; elephant; image under a map (math.)
Chinese: 大象；形状、景象或象征。
Hear the Four Tones
The same syllable “xiang” becomes a different word in each tone. 象 is the 4th tone. Tap any tone to hear a native voice and see its pitch shape.
Stroke Order
Tap Animate to watch the strokes in order, or Practice to trace it yourself.
Common Words
- 对象duì xiàngtarget; object; partner; boyfriend
- 印象yìn xiàngimpression (sth that stays in one's mind); a memory
- 形象xíng xiàngimage; form; figure; visualization
- 现象xiàn xiàngphenomenon; appearance
- 想象xiǎng xiàngto imagine; to envision; imagination
Example Sentence
大象的鼻子又长又灵活。Dà xiàng de bí zi yòu cháng yòu líng huó.The trunk of an elephant is long and flexible.
大象Dà xiàngelephant的deof鼻子bí zinose又yòuagain长chánglong又yòuagain灵活líng huóflexible。
Go deeper
Where this character comes from
A pictograph of an elephant, with the long trunk clearly drawn at the top. It means ‘elephant’ and also ‘shape / image / to resemble’.
A way to remember it
That long curving stroke up top is the trunk — an elephant.
Easy to confuse with
- 像‘Image / to resemble’: a person (亻) added to 象 to write the ‘resemble’ sense.