质 (zhì) - quality & nature

质Tone 4

zhì ｜ 8 strokes ｜ radical: 贝

志

质 · zhì

quality;

nature;

character;

substance;

matter;

to question;

to pledge;

simple;

plain

qualitynaturecharacter

Usage highlights

QualitySubstanceNatureTextureTo questionTo pledge

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • 文— refinement; culture (as opposed to natural substance)
  • 华— ornate; flowery (as opposed to plain quality)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The quality of this product is excellent (质量很好).
  • He questioned the witness about the details (质问证人).
  • This material has a plain texture (质地朴素).
  • They pledged their property as collateral (质押财产).

Collocations

  • Quality(质量)
  • Substance(物质)
  • Nature(性质)
  • Texture(质地)
  • To question(质问)
  • To pledge(质押)

Idioms

  • The original simple quality(质朴无华)
  • Question repeatedly(质疑问难)
  • Quality changes with environment(质随境迁)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally meant 'to pledge' or 'hostage' in ancient times, later extended to mean 'substance' and 'quality'.
  • In Confucian thought, '质' represents natural substance as opposed to cultural refinement ('文').
  • Used in scientific contexts to denote matter or substance, as in 物质 (matter).

FAQ