性气 (xìng qì) — personality; temperament

Definition

Literary/formal word for 'temperament,' used in writing more than in everyday speech. Distinct from the more common 性格 (xìnggé), which is the neutral everyday term for personality.

noun
personalitytemperament
Easily confused

Examples

  • 性气。
    Tā de xìng qì hěn wēn hé.
    His temperament is very gentle.
  • 性气。
    Tā de xìng qì bǐ jiào jí zào.
    Her personality is relatively impatient.
  • 性气。
    Zhè ge rén de xìng qì hěn nán xiāng chǔ.
    This person's temperament is hard to get along with.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

性xìngnature
气qìtemperament

性 (nature) and 气 (temperament) together mean personality.

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
气
气qì氣qì
Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

Open 气 →

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