象形文字 (xiàng xíng wén zì) — hieroglyphics (especially ancient Egyptian); pictographic writing (any script using pictures for words or concepts)
Definition
A category of writing where each character is a stylized picture of what it stands for (like ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, or the original shape of 火). It is one of the foundational types of Chinese character formation.
noun
hieroglyphics (especially ancient Egyptian)pictographic writing (any script using pictures for words or concepts)
Examples
- 象形文字。Gǔ āi jí de xiàng xíng wén zì fēi cháng yǒu míng.The hieroglyphics of ancient Egypt are very famous.
- 象形文字。xiàng xíng wén zì Shì shì jiè shàng zuì gǔ lǎo de wén zì zhī yī.Hieroglyphics are one of the oldest writing systems in the world.
- ‘’象形文字。Hàn zì zhōng de 'huǒ' zì zuì chū jiù shì xiàng xíng wén zì.The character 'fire' in Chinese was originally a pictograph.
Appears in
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.