共性 (gòng xìng) — common characteristic, commonality | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Noun meaning a 'common characteristic' shared by a group — the opposite of 个性 ('individual character'). Use 共性 for what things have in common, 个性 for what makes each one different.

noun

common characteristiccommonality

Examples

共性。
Zhè liǎng zhǒng dòng wù yǒu hěn duō gòng xìng.
These two animals share many common characteristics.
，共性。
Suī rán biǎo miàn bù tóng, dàn tā men de gòng xìng hěn míng xiǎn.
Though they look different on the surface, their commonality is obvious.
共性？
Rén lèi hé dòng wù de gòng xìng shì shén me?
What are the common characteristics of humans and animals?

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

共 (common) and 性 (nature) combine to mean a nature shared across things.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

廾廾gǒngtwo hands
口口kǒuan object

共 shows 廾, two hands, holding up an object. That object was written 口 and later became the 廿-like top.

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

忄生性

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.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Abstract Concepts

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