写照
xiě zhào · HSK 7
portrayal
🖼️ 写照 = 写 depict + 照 reflect; a depiction that reflects someone = a portrayal
写 means to write or depict, 照 means to shine, mirror or reflect. A portrayal is a depiction that reflects its subject truthfully — often in 真实写照, a true likeness.
写 — 宀 roof + 与 (phonetic, simplified from 寫)
Originally 寫 depicted placing something under a roof (宀), extended to mean 'to set down' and then 'to write/copy'. The simplified form 写 keeps the roof but replaces the complex inner element with 与, which also hints at the sound. Today it broadly means 'to write' or 'to depict'.
照 — 昭 (bright) phonetic + 灬 (fire radical)
照 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The bottom 灬 is a variant of 火 'fire', giving the meaning of light or illumination, while 昭 'bright' on top supplies the sound 'zhào' and reinforces the brightness sense. It originally meant to shine light on something, later extending to 'reflect', 'photograph', and 'according to'.