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活像 (huó xiàng) — to look exactly like, to be the spitting image of

Definition

活像 means 'looks exactly like' or 'is a dead ringer for' — used for a vivid, often surprising resemblance between two people or things (appearance, voice, size).

verb
to look exactly liketo be the spitting image of

Examples

  • 活像。
    Tā cháng dé huó xiàng tā fù qīn nián qīng de shí hou.
    He looks exactly like his father when he was young.
  • 活像。
    Zhè zuò diāo xiàng huó xiàng zhēn rén yí yàng dà xiǎo.
    This statue is an exact replica of a real person in size.
  • 活像，。
    Tā de shēng yīn huó xiàng tā mā ma, jī hū fēn bù chū lái.
    Her voice sounds exactly like her mother's, almost indistinguishable.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

活huóexactly
像xiàngresemble

活 'exactly' and 像 'resemble' combine to mean looking exactly alike.

Characters in this word

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠯑
𠯑𠯑活huó
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

活 is built from 氵 (water) and 𠯑, which shows the sound; 𠯑 later changed into 舌.

Open 活 →

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
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
象
象xiàng像
Same sound today

像 uses 亻, the side form of 人 (person), with 象 giving the sound.

Open 像 →
Appears in
Comparison & Degree

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