象

Cantonese · source Jyutpingzoeng6

Meanings

  1. elephant Mandarin classifier: 只
  2. shape
  3. form
  4. appearance
  5. to imitate
  6. ivory
  7. figure
  8. image
  9. portrait
  10. phenomenon
About these definitions

Source definition segments, in their original order. Characters a definition cites are shown without their Mandarin pinyin; classifier lists that CC-Canto copied from CC-CEDICT are marked Mandarin. The community dictionary is not independently verified by zimai.

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Reading & tones

Schematic citation-tone diagrams from the source numbers. These are not recordings or predictions of connected speech.

Same syllable, six tones

Characters whose customary Unihan reading (kCantonese) is this syllable in each tone, chosen as in the tone atlas (2013 standard level, then the number of CC-CEDICT words they form), with CC-Canto 2017's meaning for that reading; a dash means no catalogue character has that reading. Checked syllables (-p, -t, -k) normally carry tones 1, 3 and 6. Character readings, not word readings; no frequency implied.

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Written characters

Both source spellings are represented. Written membership is not an etymological or semantic claim.

Cantonese characters and the Mandarin bridge ↗

Mandarin comparison · separate source entries

CC-CEDICT, the Mandarin–English dictionary, lists the same written form:

  • 象 xiàng CC-CEDICT · Mandarinelephant; Classifier: 隻 zhī; shape; form; appearance; to imitate

A separate source entry, shown for comparison. The same characters can carry different senses in Mandarin and in Cantonese; zimai does not align these senses.

CC-Canto includes this pinyin reference: xiang4. It does not establish a Mandarin word with the same meaning.

Look up this spelling in the Mandarin dictionary ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 18 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zoeng6

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

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

character · Etymology 1

  1. elephant (Classifier: 頭/头 m; 隻/只 m c mn)
  2. ivory; tusk
  3. (xiangqi) elephant: 🩩 (on the black side) (Classifier: 隻/只 c)
  4. (chess) bishop
  5. symbol; emblem
  6. appearance; shape; phenomenon
  7. (traditional Chinese medicine) complexion
  8. image; picture; portrait
  9. sign; indication
  10. (obsolete) law; legislation
  11. (obsolete) principle
  12. (obsolete) calendar
  13. (literary) to imitate; to follow the example of
  14. (literary) to trace; to outline; to depict
  15. to resemble
  16. (historical) government official that translates southern languages
  17. (~郡) (historical) Xiang, a commandery of Han China
  18. a surname

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

CC-Canto · Pleco Inc. · edition 2017-02-02
Source line 32,639 · Original publisher · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Edition & transformations

Original source comment: adapted from cc-cedict

Mandarin comparison: CC-CEDICT 2026-10-13, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source reading differences and six-tone sets: computed by zimai from Unihan 17.0.0 (Unicode License V3).

Exact source record & identity象 象 [xiang4] {zoeng6} /elephant M: 只zhī [只]/shape/form/appearance/to imitate/ivory/figure/image/portrait/phenomenon/ # adapted from cc-cedict

SHA-256: d3feaf81cb05fa905a7f11fcb96fae2cd8fe54818a9064a7ed61c4d824d0a4a2