性

xìng
#122 most
frequent character
as a suffix (positivity)
Measure words:个 gè

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

性 pairs 忄 heart with 生 shēng, which means 'to grow' and also hints at the sound. The heart was seen as the center of one's nature, giving the first sense 'human nature'. From there it grew to 'characteristic, quality' and 'biological sex'.

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Grammar Points

HSK 6
Indicating a characteristic with "xing"

Homophones

HSK 2
姓xìng
family name, surname, name
幸xìng
fortunate, lucky
兴xìng
feeling or desire to do sth

Words Starting With 性

性别xìng bié
gender; sex; distinguishing between the sexes
性格xìng gé
nature; disposition; temperament; character
性质xìng zhì
nature; characteristic
性命xìng mìng
life
性情xìng qíng
nature; temperament

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