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素质 (sù zhì) — (of a person) inner quality; moral and intellectual caliber; (of a material or object) intrinsic quality; essential property

Definition

素质 covers both personal caliber (moral + intellectual) and a material's intrinsic quality. 品质 overlaps heavily but leans toward product/service quality; 本质 is abstract 'essence', not a person's traits.

noun
(of a person) inner qualitymoral and intellectual caliber(of a material or object) intrinsic qualityessential property

Examples

  • 素质。
    Xiàn dài jiào yù zhù zhòng péi yǎng xué shēng de zōng hé sù zhì.
    Modern education focuses on cultivating students' overall quality.
  • 素质，。
    Zhè ge cái liào de sù zhì hěn hǎo, shì hé zuò gāo dàng jiā jù.
    The quality of this material is very good; it's suitable for making high-end furniture.
  • 素质。
    Yí gè rén de dào dé sù zhì bǐ zhī shi gèng zhòng yào.
    A person's moral character is more important than knowledge.

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.

素sùbasic/inherent
质zhìquality

素 (basic/inherent) and 质 (quality) combine to mean a person's inner caliber or a thing's essential property.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 素 came from a picture of hands braiding thread.

Open 素 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Personality & Traits

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