想象
xiǎng xiàng · HSK 4
to imagine
💭 想 = think + 象 = elephant/image; thinking up an image = imagining
想 (xiǎng) means think; 象 (xiàng) means elephant but also image/likeness. Together: forming images through thought, i.e. to imagine or fancy. The 象 component carries the abstract sense of representation here.
想 — heart 心 + 相 (xiāng, phonetic)
想 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The heart radical 心 at the bottom carries the meaning, since classical Chinese located thought and feeling in the heart. The top component 相 (xiāng) supplies the sound, and over time the character settled into the senses 'to think,' 'to want,' and 'to miss.'