如 conjunction part
We encountered the character 如 as part of the conjunction 如果 rúguǒ ("if"). In that situation, the character meant "if".
However, we see this character used in a different and much more difficult way in the sentence 家有阿姨，如有洁癖 jiā yǒu āyí, rú yǒu jiépǐ ("Having a maid is the same as being obsessive about cleanliness").
This second type of usage is confusing for many students for two reasons. The first is that the character 如 is quite close to its usage in classical Chinese. The meaning of the character 如 is not technically "if" but rather "much like". It means almost exactly the same thing as 好像 and can usually be replaced by that word. The second reason for the confusion is that 如 is a more formal expression and tends to appear in more challenging sentences which depend on symmetry and structure to communicate meaning.
Consider the following examples:
朴树的最新专辑叫做“生如夏花” Pǔ Shù de zuì xīn zhuānjí jiàozuò "shēng rú xià huā" Pu Shu's latest album is called "Life like Summer Flowers"
生活如六月的天气一样不可预测 Shēnghuó rú liù yuè de tiānqì yīyàng bùkěyùcè. Life is like the weather in June - impossible to forecast.
How should you use the character 如? In most conversations 好像 is probably a better choice. Because 如 is a more classical character however, you will run into it fairly commonly in formal situations, or situations where your speaking partner wishes to come across as more educated. You will also run into it fairly frequently in written Chinese, so it pays to be aware of this meaning.