像

• Noun: A likeness or representation (e.g., a portrait, statue, or icon). Refers to a concrete object that stands in for an original.
• Verb: To resemble; specifically denotes visual or structural resemblance.

In later classical and early vernacular texts, the glyph may function as a preposition meaning "like" or "as if" to introduce a simile.

• vs 象 (xiàng): While 象 refers to general form, shape, omens, or an elephant, 像 specifies human likeness or the act of one person resembling another. In very early strata, 象 may be used where later texts would employ 像.
• vs 似 (sì): 像 typically implies a visual or physical likeness, whereas 似 often suggests a similarity of quality or a tentative "seems to be."
• vs 如 (rú): 如 denotes correspondence ("as," "according to"), whereas 像 focuses on the appearance of the thing itself.
• vs 模 (mó): 模 is the template or mold; 像 is the resulting image produced from such a template.

Semantic variant: U+2CEA8.