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个性 (gè xìng) — individuality, personality

Definition

个性 stresses what makes someone distinctively 'themselves' (个性强 = strong individuality). 性格 refers to a person's general temperament and is the everyday word for 'personality'.

noun
individualitypersonality

Examples

  • 个性。
    Wǒ hěn xǐ huan nǐ de gè xìng.
    I really like your personality.
  • 个性。
    Měi gè rén dōu yǒu bù tóng de gè xìng.
    Everyone has a different personality.
  • 个性，。
    Tā hěn yǒu gè xìng, cóng bù gēn bié rén yí yàng.
    He has a strong individuality and never follows others.

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.

个gèindividual
性xìngnature

个 and 性 combine to mean an individual's nature.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 個; 个 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
固
固gù個ge
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 个, the form 個 pairs 亻 (person) with 固 as a sound part.

Open 个 →

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 →
Appears in
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