想象
xiǎng​xiàng HSK4

imagine

想 xiǎng think

Phonosemantic compound. 心 represents the meaning and 相 represents the sound.

Components

心
心 Meaning component
xīn, xin heart
相
相 Sound component
xiāng, xiàng mutual

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartsjangX[s]aŋʔ think

說文解字

《說文》：“想，冀思也。从心，相聲。”

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

象 xiàng elephant

Pictograph of an elephant.

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Shang ~1100 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Warring States ~300 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Iconic (3)

为為爲

Sound (1 of 3 verified)

像橡蟓

Simplified (1)

为

Meaning (1)

豫

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartzjangXs.[d]aŋʔ elephant

說文解字

《說文》：“象，長鼻牙，南越大獸，三年一乳。象耳牙四足之形。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.740
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)