像
to be like; to resemble
xiàng
What does 像 mean?
像 (xiàng) is the verb 'to be like / to resemble / to look like.' Sentence pattern: A 像 B = 'A is like / resembles B.' 你像你妈妈 = 'You look like your mom.' Often paired with 一样 (yíyàng, 'the same') for emphasis: A 像 B 一样 + adjective = 'A is as ADJ as B' or 'A is like B in that way.'
他像孩子一样高兴 = 'He's happy like a child.' Also used to introduce examples, equivalent to English 'such as' or 'like': 像苹果、香蕉这样的水果 = 'fruits like apples and bananas.' As a noun, 像 means 'image / portrait / statue' (画像 portrait, 雕像 statue, 录像 video recording). Two cautions: don't confuse with the near-homophone 向 (xiàng, 'toward'); and the formal/written equivalent for resemblance comparisons is 如同 or 好像 (hǎoxiàng, 'seems like').
Character breakdown
to be like; resemble; image
Memory hook: 像 has 亻 (person) on the left and 象 (elephant) on the right — 'a person + elephant' as if you're describing what someone is like.
Example sentences
你长得很像你妈妈。
Nǐ zhǎng de hěn xiàng nǐ māma.
You look a lot like your mom.
spoken
他像孩子一样高兴。
Tā xiàng háizi yíyàng gāoxìng.
He's happy like a child.
neutral
今天好像要下雨。
Jīntiān hǎoxiàng yào xià yǔ.
It looks like it's going to rain today.
spoken
我喜欢吃水果，像苹果、香蕉。
Wǒ xǐhuan chī shuǐguǒ, xiàng píngguǒ, xiāngjiāo.
I like eating fruit, like apples and bananas.
spoken
这个孩子一点儿都不像他爸爸。
Zhège háizi yìdiǎnr dōu bú xiàng tā bàba.
This child doesn't look like his dad at all.
spoken
Common phrases with 像
Synonyms
好像 means 'seems like / as if' — softer, often signaling uncertainty. 他好像生病了 = 'He seems sick.' 像 alone is a direct resemblance: 他像他爸爸 = 'He looks like his dad.' 好像 adds 'apparently / it seems.'
如 is the literary/written equivalent — 'like / as.' Found in formal writing and set phrases (如同, 例如). In conversation, use 像.
Don't confuse 像 with
向 (xiàng) means 'toward / facing' — a direction word. Same pinyin as 像 but completely different meaning. 向前走 = 'walk forward'; 像我 = 'like me.'
象 alone means 'elephant' or 'image' (现象 = phenomenon). 像 is the verb 'to resemble.' Note: in some traditional uses 象 and 像 overlap, but in modern simplified Chinese, 像 = resemble, 象 = elephant/phenomenon.