塑造

Mandarin · pinyin sù zào

Meanings

  1. to model; to mold
  2. (fig.) to create (a character, a market, an image etc)
  3. (fig.) (literature) to portray (in words)
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Characters in this entry

塑
sù · model in clay, sculpt; plastics
造
zào · construct, build, make, begin; prepare
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–4 · su4 zao4

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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 · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sou3 zou6

Cantonese word readings for 塑造. 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.

verb

  1. (literally) to model; to mold (a statue)
  2. (figuratively) to portray (the image of); to create

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

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

塑造 · su4 zao4
CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG · edition 2026-10-13 · source line 26,293
Original dictionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source & transformation details
Exact source record塑造 塑造 [su4 zao4] /to model; to mold/(fig.) to create (a character, a market, an image etc)/(fig.) (literature) to portray (in words)/