銅像

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 銅像 (どうぞう) is a compound noun for a figure of a person or animal cast in bronze and placed for display.
• Basic usage: 作家の銅像が立つ makes the monument in the plaza the subject, while 銅像の表面が光る identifies the rain-wet metal surface.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Represented person and metal surface
  • In 作家の銅像, the writer is the represented subject, whereas 銅像の表面 is the object’s exterior. The noun denotes neither the writer personally nor a painting.