像

Glyph origin

More information Historical forms of the character 像, Warring States ...

Historical forms of the character 像
Warring States
Chu slip and silk script
Small seal script s05896 Transcribed ancient scripts L35060 L17399
References: Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation), which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including: Shuowen Jiezi (small seal), Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions), Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

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Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *ljaŋʔ) : semantic 亻 (“man”) + phonetic 象 (OC *ljaŋʔ, “elephant; image”).

Etymology

Traditionally thought to be the same word as Old Chinese 象 (*ljaŋʔ, “elephant”) (Han Feizi, Karlgren, 1957).

Schuessler (2007) posits that Old Chinese *z- and *s-l- / *s-j- might have merged in Zuo Zhuan and thinks Old Chinese 像 (*ljaŋʔ, “image”) possibly derives from Sino-Tibetan root *la, making it cognate with Tibetan ལད་མོ (lad mo, “imitation, to imitate, mimic”) & ལྷ (lha, “gods, image of a deity”) (however, see there for other etymology), Lepcha ᰗᰰ (klan, “similar”) & ᰗᰰᰜᰶ (klan-lă, “imitation”), Jingpho [script needed] (sum³¹-la³³, “picture, image”) & [script needed] (num³¹-la³³, “ghost”). Geilich (1994) adds Tibetan ལྡེམ (ldem, “statue, idol”) yet connects the Tibeto-Burman items to Old Chinese 似 (*ljɯʔ).

Doublet of 佯 (yáng, “to feign”) and 樣 / 样 (yàng, “appearance”).

Pronunciation

Definitions

像

1. picture; image; photograph; figure
2. statue; figure; sculpture
3. to resemble; to be like
4. to take for example; for example; for instance; such as

   Synonym: 比如 (bǐrú)

5. (mathematics) image (of a function)

Compounds

References

• “像”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

Kanji

(Fifth grade kyōiku kanji)

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ぞー [zóꜜò] (Atamadaka – [1])^[2][3]
• IPA^(key): [d͡zo̞ː]

Noun

像(ぞう) • (zō) ^{←ざう (zau)?}

1. a form of a thing, including god; a figure; a statue; an idol
2. an image, a vision

   社(しゃ)会(かい)像(ぞう)

   shakaizō

   a vision of the society

References

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Middle Korean readings, if any”)

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰa̠ŋ]
• Phonetic hangul: [상]

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

像

Wikisource 像 (eumhun 형상 상 (hyeongsang sang))

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Han character

像: Hán Việt readings: tượng^[1], tương^[1]
像: Nôm readings: tượng^[1]

1. chữ Hán form of tương (“to resemble; to be like”).
2. chữ Hán form of tượng (“a figure; a statue; an idol; an image”).

References