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感性 (gǎn xìng) — (adjective) emotional, sentimental; (adjective) perceptual, based on sensory experience

Definition

感性 contrasts with 理性 (rational) — it means 'emotional, perceptive through feeling rather than logic'. Unlike 敏感 ('oversensitive, easily offended'), being 感性 is neutral or positive: feeling deeply, guided by the senses and emotions.

adjective
emotionalsentimentalperceptualbased on sensory experience

Examples

  • ，感性。
    Zài yì shù chuàng zuò zhōng, gǎn xìng bǐ lǐ xìng gèng néng dǎ dòng rén xīn.
    In artistic creation, sensibility touches people more deeply than rationality.
  • 感性，。
    Tā shì gè hěn gǎn xìng de rén, kàn xiǎo shuō jīng cháng kū.
    She is a very emotional person, often crying while reading novels.
  • 感性，。
    Zuò jué dìng shí bù néng zhī kào gǎn xìng, yě yào kǎo lǜ shí jì qíng kuàng.
    When making decisions, you can't rely only on emotion; you also have to consider the actual situation.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

感gǎnfeeling
性xìngquality

感 refers to feeling or sensation, and 性 denotes a quality, giving an emotional or perceptual 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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
咸
咸xián感gǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

感 pairs 咸, which gives the sound, with 心, the heart, for feeling.

Open 感 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Personality & Traits

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.