Meaning of 性质
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- nature
- characteristic
Measure word: 個|个
How to use 性质
性质 describes what kind of thing something fundamentally is, such as a problem, an event, a job, or a material. It is common in formal speech, news, and science. Example: 这两件事的性质不同。(Zhè liǎng jiàn shì de xìngzhì bù tóng.) These two matters are different in nature.
性 (xìng) means inborn nature, as in 性格 (xìnggé), and 质 (zhì) means substance or quality, as in 质量 (zhìliàng). Put them together and you get the basic nature or substance of a thing.
Common mistake: Learners often use 性质 for a person's personality, but that is 性格 (xìnggé) or 个性 (gèxìng). 性质 is for things, events, and situations, not someone's temperament.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
性 xìng · nature · 8 strokes
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质 zhì · essence · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 性质.
| 性格 | xìnggé | nature; disposition |
| 个性 | gèxìng | individuality; personality |
| 性别 | xìngbié | sex; gender |
| 积极性 | jījíxìng | zeal; initiative |
| 质量 | zhìliàng | (physics) mass; quality (i.e. degree of excellence) |
| 品质 | pǐnzhì | character; intrinsic quality (of a person) |
| 女性 | nǚxìng | woman; the female sex |
| 男性 | nánxìng | the male sex; a male |
| 物质 | wùzhì | matter; substance |
| 特性 | tèxìng | property; characteristic |
| 性能 | xìngnéng | function; performance; behavior |
| 本质 | běnzhì | essence; nature |
Questions about 性质
What does 性质 mean?
性质 (xìngzhì) means "nature; characteristic" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 性质?
性质 is made of 2 characters: 性 (8 strokes), 质 (8 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 性质 an HSK word?
Yes. 性质 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 性质 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 性质 is written 性質.
What is the difference between 性质 and 特点?
性质 is the essential nature that defines what something is. 特点 (tèdiǎn) is a distinguishing feature or trait, often one of several. A substance has one basic 性质 but can have many 特点.
How do you say 'the nature of the problem is serious' in Chinese?
You can say 问题的性质很严重 (wèntí de xìngzhì hěn yánzhòng). A common pattern is 性质 + 严重, 不同, or 改变 to talk about how serious or different a situation really is.