肖 xiào to resemble
to resemble; to look like
How it came to be
The small block over the moon block, here standing for meat. A small copy of that flesh is a child, and a child looking like its parent is where resembling comes from.
How it is used
- 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.