Definition
水性 as a noun has three distinct meanings. The most common refers to a person's swimming ability or how naturally they move in water. It can also describe the physical characteristics of a body of water (depth, currents, temperature, etc.). A third, strongly derogatory sense (derived from the idiom 水性杨花) labels a woman as fickle or promiscuous — this usage is offensive and outdated; learners should avoid using it unless they understand the cultural baggage.
n.
swimming abilityhow well someone can swim or handle themselves in waterphysical characteristics (depth, currents, etc.) of a body of water(derogatory, of women) ficklelascivious (from 水性杨花; outdated and offensive)
Examples
- 水性，。Tā de shuǐ xìng hěn hǎo, yóu dào duì'àn dōu méi wèntí.His swimming ability is excellent — he can swim to the other shore without any problem.
- 水性，。Zhè piàn hú de shuǐ xìng hěn fùzá, jīngcháng yǒu ànliú.The water characteristics of this lake are very complex, often with undercurrents.
- ，。Yòng shuǐ xìng lái xíngróng nǚxìng dài yǒu biǎnyì, xiàndài hànyǔ zhōng hěn shǎo yòng le.Using '水性' to describe women is derogatory; it's rarely used in modern Chinese.
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