仿效 (fǎng xiào) — to imitate, to emulate, to follow (someone's) example

Definition

仿效 (fǎngxiào) is a formal verb meaning to imitate or emulate a method or model — used in writing about learning from others' examples, more literary than the everyday 模仿.

verb
to imitateto emulateto follow (someone's) example

Examples

  • 仿效。
    Tā nǔ lì fǎng xiào qián bèi de zuò fǎ.
    He works hard to imitate the methods of his predecessors.
  • 仿效。
    Wǒ men yīng gāi fǎng xiào nà xiē chéng gōng rén shì de jīng yàn.
    We should emulate the experiences of those successful people.
  • ，仿效。
    Xué xí wài yǔ shí, kě yǐ fǎng xiào mǔ yǔ zhě de fā yīn.
    When learning a foreign language, you can imitate the pronunciation of native speakers.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

仿fǎngimitate
效xiàoimitate

仿 and 效 both express imitating, together meaning to follow an example.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 仿 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攵Written in full as攴pūto strike; action
Sound part声符shēngfú
交
交jiāo效xiào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

效 pairs 攵 (written in full as 攴), meaning “to strike; action,” with 交, which gives the sound.

Open 效 →

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