犹如

• Pinyin: yóu rú
• Hanzi breakdown: 犹 = 犬 + 酋 (dog + leader — ape known for hesitation; evolved to 'still, like, as if'); 如 = 女 + 口 (woman + mouth — to accord with, like)

Meaning

To be just like; to resemble; as if. A literary comparative verb used to draw a vivid simile or analogy.

A formal and literary equivalent of 好像 (to seem like) or 就像 (just like). Structure: A 犹如 B (A is just like B). Used to create striking images or illustrative comparisons in formal writing, speeches, and literary prose. More elevated in register than 好比 or 就像. Often introduces extended analogies in argumentative writing.

Examples

1. 绝对权力腐蚀人性，犹如慢性毒药侵蚀身体，初时不觉，久了便难以挽回。 The corrosion of human nature by absolute power is like a slow poison eroding the body: it is hardly felt at first, but later becomes hard to reverse.
2. 量子纠缠对普通读者犹如一道认知鸿沟，因为相隔很远的粒子也会同时响应彼此变化。 Quantum entanglement is like a cognitive gulf for ordinary readers, because particles far apart can still respond to each other's changes at the same time.
3. 这张民谣新专辑犹如一股清泉，流过过度商业化的流行乐荒漠，让听众重新找到共鸣与安宁。 This new folk album is like a clear spring flowing through the overcommercialized pop-music desert, helping listeners find resonance and calm again.

Usage Guide

Context: literature, rhetoric, philosophy, speech

Tone: literary

Do Say

• 这位山区教师说，看到学生靠知识走出大山时的满足，犹如农夫秋收满仓，是任何物质都换不来的。(This mountain teacher said that when he sees students use knowledge to leave the mountains, the satisfaction he feels is like a farmer seeing a full harvest in autumn, something no material reward can replace.)
• AI模型在分布外案例上频频失败，犹如一面镜子，照出统计相关与真正语义理解之间尚未跨越的鸿沟。(AI models' repeated failures on out-of-distribution cases are like a mirror, reflecting the still-unbridged gap between statistical correlation and genuine semantic understanding.)

Don't Say

• 我犹如去了图书馆 — 犹如 introduces a simile comparing A to B; it cannot replace 好像 in the sense of 'I think I went' or express uncertainty about a past action; use 我好像去了图书馆 for that meaning

Origin & History

犹 (still/as if — 犬 dog + 酋 leader; originally a type of ape known for hesitation; evolved to mean 'still, like, as if') + 如 (like/as — 女 woman + 口 mouth; as if, in accordance with)

Cultural Context

Era: Classical–Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal