Definitions
Etymology
Pictograph of an elephant.
About
The character 象 is a detailed pictograph of an elephant, clearly showing its long trunk at the top, large ears, body, and four legs at the bottom. Its original meaning was the physical animal itself. Because elephants were rare and primarily known through imported bones and carved ivory, the process of mentally reconstructing the living animal from these traces caused the meaning to shift from the literal to the abstract. Thus, it came to represent shape, phenomenon, mental image, imitation, and symbol.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我看到一头大象。
大象的鼻子很长。
这是一种自然现象。
鸽子象征和平。
他维护自己的形象。
没有迹象表明他会来。
这个概念比较抽象。
这种现象象征着社会结构的转变。
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