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象形

Mandarin · pinyin xiàng xíng

pictogram
one of the Six Methods 六書 of forming Chinese characters
Chinese character derived from a picture
sometimes called hieroglyph

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Characters in this entry

象: xiàng · elephant; ivory; figure, image
形: xíng · form, shape, appearance

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–2 · xiang4 xing2

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zoeng6 jing4

Cantonese word readings for 象形. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

noun

pictogram, one of the six classifications of Chinese characters (六書／六书 (liùshū)).

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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