映象 (yìng xiàng) — image (mental or visual); impression

Definition

Literary word for a mental 'image' or 'impression' — the picture left in your mind by a scene, film, or memory. More formal/written than 印象, with a stronger sense of a visual picture rather than a general feeling.

noun
image (mental or visual)impression

Examples

  • 映象。
    Nà ge měi hǎo de yìng xiàng yì zhí liú zài wǒ de jì yì zhōng.
    That beautiful image has stayed in my memory.
  • 映象。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng gěi guān zhòng liú xià le shēn kè de yìng xiàng.
    This film left a deep impression on the audience.
  • 映象。
    Tā zài jìng zi zhōng kàn dào le zì jǐ de yìng xiàng.
    He saw his own reflection in the mirror.

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.

映yìngreflect
象xiàngimage

映 gives reflection and 象 gives image, together meaning a mental or visual image.

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
日日rìsun
Sound part声符shēngfú
央
央yāng映yìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

映 pairs 日, the sun, with 央 as a sound element.

Open 映 →

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 →

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