TongTong
Sign in

阳性 (yáng xìng) — (noun) positive (test result, medical); (noun) masculine gender (linguistics)

Definition

Used in two technical contexts: a positive medical test result, and masculine gender in grammar. Contrast with 阴性, which is the matching negative / feminine term.

noun
positive (test result, medical)masculine gender (linguistics)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 阳性。
    Tā de xuè yè jiǎn cè jié guǒ shì yáng xìng.
    His blood test result is positive.
  • ，阳性“-o”。
    Xī bān yá yǔ zhōng, yáng xìng míng cí tōng cháng yǐ "-o" jié wěi.
    In Spanish, masculine nouns usually end in “-o”.
  • 阳性，。
    Yī shēng gào sù wǒ jiǎn cè chéng yáng xìng, xū yào jìn yí bù jiǎn chá.
    The doctor told me the test came back positive, and I need further examination.

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.

阳yángpositive
性xìngquality

阳性 names the 阳 quality, with 性 completing the word.

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 陽; 阳 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阜阜fùhill
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng陽yáng
Same sound today

In the traditional form 陽, 阜 shows a hill and 昜 is the older character for the word, tied to sunshine and the sound; simplified 阳 is a later shorthand.

Open 阳 →

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 7-9LanguageMedicine & Treatment

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