Meaning of 物质
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- matter
- substance
- material
- materialistic
Measure word: 個|个
How to use 物质
物质 is used in science for matter or substances, and in daily talk for material things as opposed to spiritual or emotional life. It often pairs with 精神 (jīngshén) spirit. Example: 他很重视物质生活。(Tā hěn zhòngshì wùzhì shēnghuó.) He cares a lot about material comforts.
物 (wù) means a thing, as in 动物 (dòngwù) animal or 礼物 (lǐwù) gift, and 质 (zhì) means quality or nature. Put together, 物质 is what things are made of: matter and substance.
Common mistake: Learners often write 质 with the traditional-looking top or confuse it with 贡 (gòng), which has a different top part. Also remember both syllables are fourth tone: wù zhì, not wú zhī.
物质 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
物 wù · thing · 8 strokes
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质 zhì · essence · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 物质.
| 食物 | shíwù | food |
| 动物 | dòngwù | animal |
| 礼物 | lǐwù | gift; present |
| 动物园 | dòngwùyuán | zoo |
| 事物 | shìwù | thing; object |
| 药物 | yàowù | medicaments; pharmaceuticals |
| 植物 | zhíwù | plant; vegetation |
| 购物 | gòuwù | shopping |
| 质量 | zhìliàng | (physics) mass; quality (i.e. degree of excellence) |
| 品质 | pǐnzhì | character; intrinsic quality (of a person) |
| 性质 | xìngzhì | nature; characteristic |
| 人物 | rénwù | person; personage; figure (esp. sb of importance); character (in a play, novel etc) |
Questions about 物质
What does 物质 mean?
物质 (wùzhì) means "matter; substance" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 物质?
物质 is made of 2 characters: 物 (8 strokes), 质 (8 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 物质 an HSK word?
Yes. 物质 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 物质 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 物质 is written 物質.
How do I say someone is materialistic using 物质?
Chinese speakers often say 他很物质 (tā hěn wùzhì), using 物质 like an adjective in casual speech. A more formal phrase is 物质主义 (wùzhì zhǔyì), materialism.
What is the difference between 物质 and 材料 (cáiliào)?
物质 is matter or substance in a general or scientific sense, like 化学物质 (huàxué wùzhì) chemical substances. 材料 means materials used to make something, like building materials or materials for a report.