性 (xìng): nature, gender
性 (xìng) is a Chinese character meaning “nature, gender.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 忄 (semantic) and 生 (phonetic). It ranks #122 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 性 heart. Its radical form 忄 (heart) appears in many related characters such as 忙 (máng, busy), 快 (kuài, fast, happy), 怎 (zěn, how).
Definitions
- nature, gender
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 性 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 性
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 女性noun | nǚ xìng | woman | 4 |
| 个性noun | gè xìng | individuality | 5 |
| 男性noun | nán xìng | the male sex | 4 |
| 性格noun | xìng gé | nature | 4 |
| 理性adjective/noun | lǐ xìng | reason | 6 |
| 性别noun | xìng bié | sex | 4 |
| 一次性adjective | yī cì xìng | one-off (offer) | 5 |
| 性质noun | xìng zhì | nature | 5 |
| 弹性noun | tán xìng | flexibility | 6 |
| 特性noun | tè xìng | property | 6 |
| 性能noun | xìng néng | function | 6 |
| 性价比noun | xìng jià bǐ | cost-performance ratio | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 同性恋noun | tóng xìng liàn | homosexuality |
| 性感adjective | xìng gǎn | sex appeal |
| 可能性noun | kě néng xìng | possibility |
| 性爱noun | xìng ài | sex |
| 性命noun | xìng mìng | life |
| 人性noun | rén xìng | human nature |
| 异性noun | yì xìng | the opposite sex |
| 性骚扰verb | xìng sāo rǎo | sexual harassment |
| 本性noun | běn xìng | natural instincts |
| 性生活 | xìng shēng huó | sex life |
| 性关系noun | xìng guān xi | sexual relations |
| 性交verb | xìng jiāo | sexual intercourse |
| 性行为noun | xìng xíng wéi | sexual behavior |
| 阳性 | yáng xìng | positive |
| 性欲noun | xìng yù | sexual desire |
性 appears in 131 compound words: 18 as the first character, 81 as the last, and 2 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 性 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (18)
Showing 12 of 18 idioms containing 性.
Example Sentences
这种材料的性能很稳定，适合长期使用。
Zhè zhǒng cáiliào de xìngnéng hěn wěndìng, shìhé chángqī shǐyòng.
This material's performance is very stable and suitable for long-term use.
买刮刮乐停不下来?4星座“赌性超强” 牡羊先冲再说是本能
mǎi guā guā lè tíng bù xià lái ? 4 xīng zuò dǔ xìng chāo qiáng mǔ yáng xiān chōng zài shuō shì běn néng
Can't stop buying scratch cards? 4 constellations are "super gambling" Aries rushes first and then instinctively
搭完邮轮有“离船症候群”?30-60岁女性最常见
dā wán yóu lún yǒu lí chuán zhèng hòu qún ? 3 0 6 0 suì nǚ xìng zuì cháng jiàn
After a cruise, "disembarkation syndrome" is most common among women aged 30-60
...征15%关税立即生效 全球贸易重返不确定性时代
. . . zhēng 1 5 guān shuì lì jí shēng xiào quán qiú mào yì chóng fǎn bù què dìng xìng shí dài
... The 15% tariff will take effect immediately Global trade will return to an era of uncertainty
4宝爸出轨小三24次!性爱行事历曝光 人妻试图私了遭拒怒告索偿
4 bǎo bà chū guǐ xiǎo sān 2 4 cì ! xìng ài háng shì lì pù guāng rén qī shì tú sī le zāo jù nù gào suǒ cháng
4 Bao Dad cheated on the mistress 24 times! The sex calendar was exposed, and the wife tried to be private but was rejected and angrily sued for compensation
伊朗总统:伊朗愿就其核工业和平性质接受任何形式核查
yī lǎng zǒng tǒng yī lǎng yuàn jiù qí hé gōng yè hé píng xìng zhì jiē shòu rèn hé xíng shì hé chá
Iranian President: Iran is ready to accept any form of verification of the peaceful nature of its nuclear industry
狗子还有佛性也无？
Gǒu zǐ háiyǒu Fóxìng yě wú?
Does a dog have a Buddha-nature or not?
老婆怀孕没了性欲我该怎么办？
Lǎopó huáiyùn méile xìngyù wǒ gāi zěnmebàn?
My wife has no libido since she got pregnant. What can I do?
”你是异性恋还是女同？“”我是异性恋。“
"nǐ shì yìxìngliàn háishi nǚtóng?""wǒ shì yìxìngliàn."
"Are you hetero or lesbian?" "I am hetero."
事故差点让他丢了性命。
Shìgù chàdiǎn ràng tā diū le xìngmìng.
The accident almost cost him his life.
Character Family
Semantic Family — Characters sharing the 忄 (heart) component
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 性 (xìng) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 性 and 胜?
How many strokes does 性 have?
What is the radical of 性?
What are the components of 性?
What are common words containing 性?
What characters sound the same as 性 (xìng)?
Is 性 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 性 with real-time feedback
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