xiǎng

to think · to miss someone

HSK 2

Evolution

想 in seal script
Seal Script · ~200 BCE
想 in liushutong script
Liushūtong · ~1600 CE
Modern
poetic

Top: 相 (xiāng) = eyes (目) looking at a tree (木). Bottom: 心 (heart). Missing someone = your eyes scanning the horizon, searching through trees, while your heart aches below. The top half also serves as the phonetic — 相 and 想 sound nearly identical.

Components

目 ancient form
eye
木 ancient form
tree
心 ancient form
heart

Related Characters

Further Reading

25 Characters With Wild EtymologiesGuide

Appears in Stories