TSUMUGU · B1 (est.) · 字
象
ㄒㄧㄤˋ · xiàng
noun — an elephant; an image, appearance, phenomenon
字源 FORM — what the parts do
象形rendered whole — the long trunk, tusks, and heavy body of the elephant
The whole animal drawn in one stroke-flow: the long trunk curling down from the top, the tusks, the great body and legs. It is a straight picture of the elephant. Because the beast was a marvel rarely seen, the word turned toward what stands for a thing — its image, its shape: 現象、象徵、印象. The resemblance-sense split off into 像, with a person added.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
長鼻（上頭那撇）一路垂下來，連著厚實的身子——一頭象，整個畫在這裡。
The long trunk hangs down from the top, joined to the heavy body — a whole elephant, drawn here.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)大象、象牙— an elephant; ivory常用
→形象、現象— image, appearance, phenomenon常用
⇒象徵— to symbolize, stand for常用
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension
關 · Related
像＝ 亻 ＋ xiàngthe split-off twin — 像 adds a person 亻 for resemblance and likeness; keeps the bare animal and its image-sense豕shǐthe pig it grew from — 豕 is the plain pig body; hangs the long trunk on top of it