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本质

本質
běnzhì
noun HSK 6 #5,644

Meanings

  1. 1 essence; nature; intrinsic quality
  2. 2 essential; fundamental

Characters

本
běn
root; origin; fundamental
质
zhì
quality; nature; substance
The root quality — the fundamental essence of something.

Examples

事情的本质是什么？
Shìqíng de běnzhì shì shénme?
What is the essence of the matter?
不要被表面现象迷惑，要看到本质。
Bùyào bèi biǎomiàn xiànxiàng míhuò, yào kàn dào běnzhì.
Don't be misled by surface appearances; see the essence.
这两件事本质上是一样的。
Zhè liǎng jiàn shì běnzhì shàng shì yīyàng de.
These two things are essentially the same.
他本质上是个好人。
Tā běnzhì shàng shì gè hǎo rén.
He is essentially a good person.

Tips

usage
本质上 (běnzhì shàng) = 'essentially; in essence.' Very common in analytical or philosophical discussion.
usage
本质 vs 性质: 本质 is the deep, essential nature; 性质 is the general character or property (e.g., 这件事的性质很严重 = the nature of this matter is serious).

Stroke Order

本 běn
质 zhì