性情 (xìng qíng) — nature, temperament | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

性情 (xìngqíng) refers to a person's habitual temperament — how calm, gentle, or impatient they tend to be. It is closer to 脾气 ('temper, mood') than to 性格 ('personality') or 气质 ('demeanor, presence').

noun

naturetemperament

Examples

性情。
Tā de xìng qíng fēi cháng wēn róu.
Her temperament is very gentle.
性情。
Zhè zhī māo de xìng qíng hěn ān jìng.
This cat's temperament is very quiet.
性情，。
Tā de xìng qíng suī rán yǒu diǎn jí, dàn rén hěn hǎo.
Although his temperament is a bit impatient, he's a good person.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

情qíngfeeling

性 and 情 together describe a person's nature and feelings, hence temperament.

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.

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.

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

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

青

青qīng情qíng

Same sound today

情 shows 心 (heart) beside 青, which gives the sound. The heart part points to feelings and inner states.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Personality & Traits

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