Kanji Curiosity

From JapanesePod101.com

Treasured Chest: Part 1

If you saw the following word, what would you think it meant?

胸像 (kyōzō)

As you may know, 胸 means “chest,” and 像 often means “image,” as in 心像 (shinzō: mental image, heart + image). The chest and heart are fairly interrelated concepts. So if heart + image means “mental image,” what could chest + image be? A chest x-ray? A man’s image of a woman’s chest? A poor self-image, based on a less-than-robust chest? (This brings to mind comedian John Oliver, who says he has a concave chest and isn’t fit for any sports, though he could always serve as a sail.)

No, it’s none of those things. Instead, here’s the deal:

胸像 (kyōzō: bust (statue)) chest + statue

Turns out, 像 can also mean “statue.” And a statue of a chest is a bust!

For the full article, click here.