Chinese word

像

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiàng

Meaning

  • verblook like

Example

他长得像他爸爸。tā zhǎng de xiàng tā bà bà

He looks like his father.

Illustration for 像 (look like)

More examples

他们像朋友一样聊天。tā men xiàng péng yǒu yí yàng liáo tiān

They chat just like friends.

Core concept

A visible or recognizable form serves as a likeness of something else.

Common phrases

  • 像...一样xiàng yí yàng

    just like ___

  • 很像hěn xiàng

    look very much alike

Similar words

好像hǎo xiàng: Seem likely from what can be seen or from the situation.
看起来kàn qǐ lái: Look a certain way based on outward signs or appearance.
长得zhǎng de: Show what a person's physical appearance is like.

Definition in Chinese

表示在外貌、性格或动作等方面与某人或某物相似。biǎo shì zài wài mào xìng gé huò dòng zuò děng fāng miàn yǔ mǒu rén huò mǒu wù xiāng sì

Word origin

像 (xiàng, "to resemble") joins 亻 (rén, "person") + 象 (xiàng, "elephant"); 象 gives the sound, and the word's meaning connects resemblance with a likeness or image.

Usage tips

  • The comparison can include personality, behavior, or movement, not only a person's face, so an English gloss limited to physical appearance is too narrow.

Other meanings

  • likepreposition
  • imagenoun

Word lists with this word