效仿

• Pinyin: xiào fǎng
• Hanzi breakdown: 效 = 交 + 攴 (cross + action — to follow/imitate); 仿 = 亻+ 方 (person + direction — to model after)

Meaning

To emulate; to follow the example of; to model oneself after. To deliberately imitate someone's behaviour, method, or achievement as a positive model.

Carries a positive or neutral connotation — it implies imitation out of admiration or for self-improvement, unlike 模仿 which can be neutral or negative. Commonly used in educational, policy, and social contexts. Often followed by the model being imitated.

Examples

1. 许多国家纷纷效仿该政策，将其引入本国的教育改革方案之中。 Many countries have followed suit, adopting the policy as part of their own education reform plans.
2. 年轻创业者们竞相效仿这位商界传奇人物的经营理念，希望从中汲取成功的经验。 Young entrepreneurs are racing to emulate this business legend’s management philosophy, hoping to draw lessons from their success.
3. 她的创新教学法受到广泛认可，已有数十所学校将其作为范本加以效仿和推广。 Her innovative teaching method has been widely recognized, and dozens of schools have adopted it as a model to follow and promote.

Usage Guide

Context: education, policy, business, social learning

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 该城市成功的垃圾分类制度已被国内多个地区效仿，成为推进绿色城市建设的重要参考范本。(The city's successful waste-sorting system has been emulated by multiple regions across the country, becoming an important reference model for advancing green urban development.)
• 后辈学者纷纷效仿这位先驱研究者严谨求实的学术态度，将其视为治学的精神典范。(Younger scholars have widely emulated this pioneering researcher's rigorous and evidence-based academic approach, regarding it as a spiritual exemplar for scholarly conduct.)

Don't Say

• 我效仿他的笔迹 — for copying handwriting or a specific physical style, 模仿 is more natural; 效仿 implies emulating admirable conduct, methods, or achievements rather than surface-level copying

Origin & History

效 (imitate/follow) + 仿 (model/copy) — to follow and copy as a model; to emulate

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal