性格

• Pinyin: xìng gé
• Hanzi breakdown: 性 = 忄 (heart) + 生 (life); 格 = 木 (wood) + 各 (each, phonetic), meaning pattern or standard

Meaning

Personality; character; temperament. The combination of qualities that form a person's distinctive nature.

Refers to a person's innate and developed personality traits. Commonly described with adjectives: 性格开朗 (outgoing personality), 性格内向 (introverted personality), 性格温和 (gentle character). Different from 个性 (individuality) which emphasises uniqueness, and 脾气 (temper) which focuses on emotional reactions.

Examples

1. 她的性格很开朗，大家都喜欢她。 She has an outgoing personality and everyone likes her.
2. 每个人的性格都不一样。 Everyone has a different personality.
3. 他的性格比较内向，不太爱说话。 His personality is rather introverted and he doesn't talk much.

Usage Guide

Context: personality, relationships, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 他们两个性格很合得来。(The two of them have compatible personalities.)
• 你觉得她是什么性格的人？(What kind of personality do you think she has?)

Don't Say

• 这只猫的性格很好。(While 性格 can be loosely used for animals, 脾气 or 性情 is more natural for describing an animal's temperament.)

Origin & History

性 means 'nature' or 'innate quality' and 格 means 'pattern' or 'standard'. Together they describe the inherent pattern or framework of a person's nature.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal