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物质 (wù zhì) — matter (as opposed to spirit, mind); substance; material

Definition

物质 means 'matter' or 'material substance' — the physical stuff of the world (as opposed to 精神 'spirit'). Material can mean 材料 (stuff for making things) or 实物 (a concrete object), but 物质 is the abstract/collective 'matter'.

noun
matter (as opposed to spirit, mind)substancematerial
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 物质。
    Shuǐ shì yì zhǒng cháng jiàn de wù zhì.
    Water is a common substance.
  • 物质，。
    Wǒ men bù jǐn xū yào wù zhì shēng huó, yě xū yào jīng shén shēng huó.
    We need not only material life but also spiritual life.
  • 物质。
    Huà xué jiā yán jiū bù tóng de wù zhì.
    Chemists study different substances.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

物wùmatter
质zhìsubstance

物 (matter) and 质 (substance) are parallel, together naming material substance.

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
牛牛niú
Sound part声符shēngfú
勿
勿wù物wù
Same sound today

物 puts 牛 beside 勿: 牛 gives the meaning, and 勿 gives the sound.

Open 物 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 質; 质 is its simplified writing.

  • 斦斦yín
  • 貝貝bèi

The traditional form 質 is made up of 貝 and 斦; this describes 質, not the simplified 质.

Open 质 →
Appears in
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