This piece quite likely evolved from the Alfil of Chaturanga .
Elephants take in the same way as they move without taking.
There is one other restriction for the Elephant. In Xiangqi, the Elephant may not cross the river. Movement diagram The Elephant in the above diagram, can move to the locations indicated by the red circles. The Elephant cannot move to the lower right because it is blocked by the white pawn. Remark Elephants can only reach a very small part of the board.