肖 xiào to resemble
to resemble; to look like
How it came to be
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
The moon below gives the meaning and the sign for small above it the sound.
用法
- 肖 means 'to resemble,' and is bound. It shows up mainly in two set nouns.
- 生肖 shēngxiào is the word for one's Chinese zodiac animal: 你属什么生肖? (nǐ shǔ shénme shēngxiào?). What's your zodiac sign?
- 肖像 xiàoxiàng means 'portrait' (a likeness, in art or ID photos), formal/written register.
- 不肖 búxiào is a literary term for a son who doesn't live up to his father's virtue: rare outside old texts or set phrases.