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表象 (biǎo xiàng) — appearance (outward look, often contrasted with essence); (psychology) mental representation, idea; (mathematics, physics) representation

Definition

In philosophy, 表象 is 'appearance' as opposed to 本质 ('essence'): how things look on the surface, not what they truly are. In psychology and science it means a mental or formal 'representation' of something.

noun
appearance (outward look, often contrasted with essence)(psychology) mental representationidea(mathematics, physics) representation

Examples

  • 表象。
    Shì wù de biǎo xiàng wǎng wǎng hé běn zhì bù tóng.
    The appearance of things is often different from their essence.
  • 表象。
    Xīn lǐ xué zhōng de biǎo xiàng shì zhǐ dà nǎo zhōng de tú xiàng.
    In psychology, representation refers to images in the brain.
  • 表象。
    Wù lǐ xué jiā yòng shù xué biǎo xiàng lái miáo shù lì zǐ.
    Physicists use mathematical representations to describe particles.

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.

表biǎooutward
象xiàngimage

'表' means outward and '象' means image or phenomenon, giving outward appearance.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape 表 pairs 衣 (garment) with 毛 (hair or feather), originally an outer garment.

Open 表 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

象 is drawn as an elephant, with a long trunk, a head, and a big body.

Open 象 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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