Definition
象形 refers to the pictographic category of Chinese character formation — one of the six traditional principles (六书). These characters are stylized drawings of concrete objects, like 日 (sun), 月 (moon), and 山 (mountain). As an attributive word, it modifies nouns such as 象形字 (pictographic character) or 象形文字 (pictographic script). Understanding this concept helps you recognize the visual origins of many common characters.
attr.
(attributive) pictographicrelating to the ancient method of creating characters by sketching the object
Examples
- 象形。xiàng xíng shì zuì gǔlǎo de Hànzì zào zì fāngfǎ zhī yī.Pictographic is one of the oldest methods of Chinese character formation.
- 象形。Hěn duō xiàng xíng zì kàn qǐlai jiù xiàng zhēnshí de wùtǐ.Many pictographic characters look just like real objects.
- 。Xuéxí xiàng xíng wénzì yǒuzhù yú lǐjiě Hànzì de qǐyuán.Studying pictographic script helps understand the origin of Chinese characters.
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