佛像 (Fó xiàng) — Buddha statue; image of Buddha

Definition

noun
Buddha statueimage of Buddha
Measure word ·

Examples

  • 佛像
    Zhè zuò Fó xiàng yǐ jīng yǒu yì qiān duō nián de lì shǐ le.
    This Buddha statue has a history of over a thousand years.
  • 佛像
    Tā qǐng le yì zūn xiǎo xiǎo de Fó xiàng fàng zài shū fáng lǐ.
    He acquired a small Buddha statue and placed it in his study.
  • 佛像
    Zhè zuò sì miào lǐ zuì zhù míng de shì yì zūn shí tou Fó xiàng.
    The most famous thing in this temple is a stone Buddha statue.

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.

Buddha

佛 “Buddha” and 像 “image” build the sense “an image of Buddha.”

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
Written in full asrénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

佛 is made from 亻, a person, and 弗, which gives the sound.

Open 佛 →

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
Written in full asrénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
Same sound today

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

Open 像 →

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