大象
dàxiàng/tä⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹/
The Chinese word for elephant is 大象 (dàxiàng).
Meaning: mammal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 大象 | dàxiàng | /tä⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /taːi̯²² t͡sœːŋ²²/ (Cantonese, Guangzhou, Sinological IPA, Standard Cantonese, Hong Kong) |
|
| 象 | chhiūⁿ / chhiǔⁿ / chhiōⁿ / chhiāuⁿ / siōng / sióng / siǒng / chhiāng | /t͡sʰiũ³³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Lukang, Yilan, Kinmen, Taichung, Sinological IPA, Sanxia, Magong, Hsinchu) /t͡sʰiũ²²/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Lukang, Yilan, Kinmen, Taichung, Sinological IPA, Sanxia, Magong, Hsinchu) |
Hokkien |
The term refers to the large mammal. While 大象 is the standard full noun used in most contexts, the single character 象 can be used as a shorthand for elephant in many Chinese contexts.
Which one should you use?
大象 is the standard full noun. 象 is a shortened form often used as shorthand.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Dungan language, the word for elephant is щён. In Hokkien, the character 象 is used to mean elephant, with various pronunciations such as chhiūⁿ, chhiǔⁿ, chhiōⁿ, chhiāuⁿ, siōng, sióng, siǒng or chhiāng depending on the specific dialect or context.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is dàxiàng and the IPA is /tä⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹/.
Did you know?
- Ancient writers believed people used the word 象 for 'imagining' because they would reconstruct the shape of a living elephant from its skeleton.
- The concept of 'likeness' or 'image' in Chinese is so tied to 象 that it forms the basis for the word 'phenomenon' or 'symbol'.
- In Chinese culture, the elephant is often associated with peace and stability, and the word 象 can sound like words for 'auspicious' in certain contexts.
Examples in context
- 大象鼻子長。An elephant has a long nose.This sentence is useful for describing the physical features of an elephant using the form 象.Tatoeba #13537962 by LeviHighway, translation #268258 by CK
- 猎人们用枪瞄准了大象。The hunters aimed at the elephant.This sentence is useful for describing an action involving an elephant using the form 象.Tatoeba #8765864 by crescat, translation #325815 by CK
- 汤姆给玛丽画了大象的素描。Tom sketched a picture of an elephant for Mary.This sentence is useful for describing an artistic representation of an elephant using the form 象.Tatoeba #5691237 by verdastelo9604, translation #1103056 by CK
- 看哪！那只大象真壮观！Look! That elephant is truly magnificent!
- 带孩子去动物园，他一定会喜欢看大象。Take the child to the zoo, he will like watching the elephants for sure.
- 昨晚我做了个梦，梦到我骑着一只大象。Last night, I had a dream where I was riding a big elephant.
- 这个小朋友真活泼，一看见大象就跑过去了。This kid is so lively, as soon as he saw the elephant, he ran over.
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are visiting the zoo.
- 浩然 Haoran你看，那头大象真大！Nǐ kàn, nà tóu dàxiàng zhēn dà!Look, that elephant is really big!
- 雨婷 Yuting是的，大象真的很可爱。Shì de, dàxiàng zhēnde hěn kě'ài.Yes, elephants are really cute.
- 浩然 Haoran雨婷，你想喂大象吗？Yǔtíng, nǐ xiǎng wèi dàxiàng ma?Yuting, do you want to feed the elephant?
- 雨婷 Yuting我想，但这里禁止喂食。Wǒ xiǎng, dàn zhèlǐ jìnzhǐ wèishí.I do, but feeding is forbidden here.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “elephant” translations and entries 大象, 象, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 象, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
