/pə,sɒnɪfɪ'keɪʃn; pɚ,sɑnəfə`keʃən/
n
1 (a) [U] treating sth that is without life as a human being or representing it in human form 人格化; 拟人化; 象徵; 化身
*The personification of evil as a devil is a feature of medieval painting. 用魔鬼象徵罪恶是中世纪绘画的特色.
(b) [C] instance of this 人格化; 拟人化; 象徵; 化身.
2 [C usu sing 通常作单数] ~ of sth person who possesses a quality or characteristic to an extreme degree 极具某品质或特点的人; 典型
*He looked the personification of misery. 他那副样子可谓是苦难的典型.
* She was the personification of elegance. 她是文雅的典范.

n
the personification of sth
someone who is a perfect example of a quality because they have a lot of it
　He became the personification of the financial excess of the 1980s.
[U and C]
the representation of a thing or a quality as a person, in literature or art
personification of
　the personification of rivers in fifth-century art