一般性 (yī bān xìng) — generality; commonality; universality

Definition

A noun meaning 'general character / generality', typically used as an attributive or after 在…上 (e.g. 一般性讨论 'general discussion'). Not a person-noun; do not confuse with 一般 as an adjective ('ordinary').

noun
generalitycommonalityuniversality

Examples

  • 一般性，。
    Zhè ge wèn tí jù yǒu yī bān xìng, xū yào cóng zhěng tǐ shàng kǎo lǜ.
    This issue has a generality that needs to be considered as a whole.
  • 一般性，。
    Tā de huí dá tài yī bān xìng le, méi yǒu gěi chū jù tǐ de fāng àn.
    His answer was too general and didn't give a specific plan.
  • 一般性，。
    Wǒ men bù néng zhī tíng liú zài yī bān xìng de tǎo lùn shàng, yào shēn rù xì jié.
    We can't just stay at the level of general discussion; we need to go into details.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

一般ordinary
一yīone般bānkind
偏正Modifier + head
性xìngquality

一般 gives the sense of ordinary, and 性 adds the sense of a quality, yielding generality.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

一 is drawn as one horizontal stroke, marking the number one.

Open 一 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 般 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
忄Written in full as心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
生
生shēng性xìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

性 is built from 忄 (the heart) and 生 (a sound clue). The heart part connects the word to a person's inner nature or quality.

Open 性 →

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