What is the difference between 例子 and 榜样?

Question

If I'm trying to say someone is a good example I often hear 例子, however, I have also heard 榜样, which seems to make more sense to me based on the meaning of the characters. What is the difference between these two?

Answer 1

榜样 is a model, specifically a person regarded as an excellent example of a certain quality.

Every year, the government announces

全国劳动模范 or 劳模 in short (people who excel in work) and 全国道德模范 (people who possess good moral values)

In a lot of companies, they have an honor called

模范带头人 (employees that come first in sales numbers, etc.)

Teachers use the word fairly often:

小明是我们（学习）的榜样。Xiao Ming set a good example for us.

An idiom:

榜样的力量是无穷的。If one sheep leaps over the ditch, all the rest will follow. (official translation)

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例子 is a typical thing that can represent the whole kind.

举个例子 give an example

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It's actually very easy to distinguish between the two words.

Definition of "example" (from the Dashboard widget on my Mac):

example |igˈzampəl| noun

1. a thing characteristic of its kind or illustrating a general rule --> 例子 (neutral)

2. a person regarded in terms of their fitness to be imitated or the likelihood of their being imitated --> 榜样 (positive, and used to describe people only)

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Answer 2

一个例子 means a example.

and 榜样 means a PERSON who made good examples.

or 榜样 describe a excellent person