象形 (xiàng xíng) — (attributive) pictographic; relating to the ancient method of creating characters by sketching the object

Definition

Technical linguistics/etymology term: 'pictographic' — refers to the ancient method of forming characters by drawing the object they represent (e.g. 日 looks like the sun, 山 like mountains).

adjective
(attributive) pictographicrelating to the ancient method of creating characters by sketching the object

Examples

  • 象形。
    xiàng xíng Shì zuì gǔ lǎo de hàn zì zào zì fāng fǎ zhī yī.
    Pictographic is one of the oldest methods of Chinese character formation.
  • 象形。
    Hěn duō xiàng xíng zì kàn qǐ lái jiù xiàng zhēn shí de wù tǐ.
    Many pictographic characters look just like real objects.
  • 。
    Xué xí xiàng xíng wén zì yǒu zhù yú lǐ jiě hàn zì de qǐ yuán.
    Studying pictographic script helps understand the origin of Chinese characters.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

象xiàngimitate/sketch
形xíngform/shape

象 means to imitate or sketch, and 形 is form or shape, yielding the sense of sketching the shape of things.

Characters in this word

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 →

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
彡彡shān
Sound part声符shēngfú
井
井jǐng形xíng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

形 is made from 彡 and 井, with 井 providing the sound.

Open 形 →

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