模仿 means 'to imitate' or 'to mimic' — copying someone's behavior, speech, appearance, or actions deliberately. The character 模 (mó) means 'model' or 'pattern', while 仿 (fǎng) means 'to copy' or 'to emulate'; together, they convey the idea of following a model closely. It’s commonly used in contexts like learning skills (e.g., language, art, dance), animal behavior (e.g., birds mimicking sounds), or social situations (e.g., children copying adults).

This verb is neutral in register and appears frequently in both spoken and written Chinese. It often takes a direct object (e.g., 模仿老师, 模仿声音) and can be modified by adverbs like 认真地 ('carefully') or 生动地 ('vividly'). Unlike the more formal 模拟 (to simulate) or the colloquial 学样 (to copy in a mocking way), 模仿 carries no inherent judgment — it can describe respectful learning or playful copying alike.