Chinese word

相似

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiāng sì

Meaning

  • adjectivesimilar

Example

他们的想法相似。tā men de xiáng fǎ xiāng sì

Their ideas are similar.

Illustration for 相似 (similar)

More examples

这两幅画有很多相似之处。zhè liǎng fú huà yǒu hěn duō xiāng sì zhī chù

These two paintings have many similarities.

Core concept

A shared pattern makes two things recognizable as alike, while their separate identities remain clear.

Common phrases

  • 非常相似fēi cháng xiāng sì

    very similar

  • 彼此相似bí cǐ xiāng sì

    similar to each other

  • 相似之处xiāng sì zhī chù

    similarities

Similar words

类似lèi sì: Similar as a whole in character, structure, or form.
相像xiāng xiàng: Looking alike or creating much the same impression.
相近xiāng jìn: Nearly equal in amount or close in location.
相同xiāng tóng: Matching completely in nature, content, or other key features.

Definition in Chinese

两者在性质、形态或内容上有相同或接近的地方，但不一定完全相同。liáng zhě zài xìng zhì xíng tài huò nèi róng shàng yǒu xiāng tóng huò jiē jìn de dì fāng dàn bù yí dìng wán quán xiāng tóng

Word origin

The compound 相 (xiāng, "each other") + 似 (sì, "resemble") frames likeness as a relation between two things, not as complete sameness.

Usage tips

  • In everyday descriptions, naming the comparison area helps distinguish similarity of appearance from similarity of ideas without claiming that the whole things match.

Opposites

Related words

  • 相似点xiāng sì diǎnpoint of similaritynoun
  • 相似性xiāng sì xìngsimilaritynoun

Word lists with this word