质

質

zhì

十 + 贝 + 𠂆

Definitions

zhì (noun) quality; nature

zhì (noun) substance; material

zhì (verb) to question; to interrogate

zhì (verb) to pawn; to pledge

Etymology

Simplified form of 質. Phonosemantic compound. 斦 represents the sound and 贝 represents the meaning.

Semantic: 贝 Phonetic: 十

About

质, the simplified form of 質, is a phono-semantic compound. Its traditional form combines the semantic radical 貝, representing cowrie shells or currency, with the phonetic component 斦, composed of two axes (斤). The cowrie shell radical originally linked the character to trade or material wealth, giving it early meanings like pledge, hostage, or collateral. Over time, this evolved to denote the inherent substance, matter, or fundamental quality of something or someone. The simplified form reduces the phonetic component from two axes to a single 斤, lowering the stroke count.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这个质量很好。

Zhège zhìliàng hěn hǎo.

This quality is very good.

物质生活很丰富。

Wùzhì shēnghuó hěn fēngfù.

Material life is very abundant.

他的本质是善良的。

Tā de běnzhì shì shànliáng de.

His nature is kind.

我质疑他的决定。

Wǒ zhìyí tā de juédìng.

I question his decision.

提高员工素质很重要。

Tígāo yuángōng sùzhì hěn zhòngyào.

Improving staff quality is very important.

量变会引起质变。

Liàngbiàn huì yǐnqǐ zhìbiàn.

Quantitative change will lead to qualitative change.

议员对政府进行了质询。

Yìyuán duì zhèngfǔ jìnxíngle zhìxún.

The parliamentarian interrogated the government.

科学家通过实验验证物质的化学性质。

Kēxuéjiā tōngguò shíyàn yànzhèng wùzhì de huàxué xìngzhì.

Scientists verify the chemical properties of matter through experiments.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 十

Component: 贝

Component: 𠂆

质