Today I realised that:
象 means "elephant" which is the biggest land-dwelling animal,
亻+ 象 = 像 means "statue" which is the biggest person (I mean, a statue is the biggest representation of a human in the world),
木 + 象 = 橡 means "oak" which is the biggest tree.
Are there more of this 象 pattern? I'm sure these are not a coincidence.
The character 象 is a pictograph that depicts the image of an elephant. Its role in 像 and 橡 is as a phonetic component. It doesn't indicate 'size' or 'largest'.
像 (like; resemblance) and 橡(oak) have nothing to do with elephants. (象 means elephant is irrelevant, it is there for the sound)
Side note: 雕像 (statue) can be any size, some can be held in your hand
