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性别 (xìng bié) — gender; sex

Definition

Refers to gender/sex as a category (usually on forms or in general discussion). For people, pair it with 男 (male) or 女 (female); for animals, use 雄性/雌性 instead.

noun
gendersex

Examples

  • 性别。
    Qǐng zài biǎo gé shàng tián xiě xìng bié.
    Please fill in your gender on the form.
  • 性别。
    Zhè cì zhāo pìn duì xìng bié méi yǒu yāo qiú.
    This recruitment has no gender requirement.
  • 性别。
    Nǚ shēng hé nán shēng de xìng bié bù tóng.
    Girls and boys have different genders.

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.

性xìngsex
别biédistinction

The 别 (distinction) is about 性 (sex), giving gender or sex category.

Characters in this word

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 別; 别 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 別 pairs 冎 (bone) with 刀 (knife), showing a knife cutting up bone and flesh. The simplified 别 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 别 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 4Abstract Concepts

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