appearance, resemble, image

像 is composed of the radical 人 (person) and 象 (elephant). 象 is a pictograph depicting a gigantic animal with large ears and a long trunk. This animal was once very common in ancient China but later became rare, possibly due to climate change or overhunting. People could only imagine its appearance from bones and images, so 象 extended to mean shape, appearance, or resemblance. As language evolved, 象 took on too many different meanings. Moreover, since ancient paintings and sculptures often depicted human figures, the radical 人 was added to create 像 specifically to express the ideas of likeness, resemblance, and imitation.