Just like / as though (犹如/宛如)

Structure A + 犹如/宛如 + B (simile)

犹如 (yóurú) and 宛如 (wǎnrú) introduce a literary simile: "just like", "as though". They are the cultivated, written counterpart of 好像 (HSK 2) or 像…一样, found in prose, landscape description and essays: 群山犹如波涛 = "the mountains rise like a surging sea". There is a nuance between them: 犹如 is the neutral, elevated comparison, whereas 宛如 suggests an almost perfect, vivid resemblance, as if the two things merged into one. Neither is used in everyday speech, where they would sound affected.

Examples

远yuǎn处chù的de群qún山shān犹yóu如rú起qǐ伏fú的de波bō涛tāo。
The distant mountains rise like a surging sea.
她tā的de歌gē声shēng宛wǎn如rú天tiān籁lài，令lìng人rén陶táo醉zuì。
Her singing is like heavenly music, utterly intoxicating.
湖hú面miàn平píng静jìng，宛wǎn如rú一yī面miàn巨jù大dà的de明míng镜jìng。
The calm surface of the lake was like a vast bright mirror.
时shí光guāng飞fēi逝shì，往wǎng事shì犹yóu如rú昨zuó日rì。
Time flies by; the past feels just like yesterday.

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