HSK 5 · Ideas

本质 běnzhì “essence” in Chinese

Traditional 本質

What 本质 means

  1. essence
  2. nature
  3. innate character
  4. intrinsic quality

How to say 本质

  • Pitch chart of the third tone: dips low then rises, 2 to 1 to 4 on the five-level scale本běn3rd tone, dipping
  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale质zhì4th tone, falling

本质 in a sentence

  1. 这就是事情的本质。

    Zhè jiùshì shìqing de běnzhì.

    That’s the essence of the matter.

    Sentence #3068709 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

  2. 它本质上是一个时间的问题。

    Tā běnzhì shàng shì yí ge shíjiān de wèntí.

    It’s essentially a question of time.

    Sentence #797079 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted

How 本质 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 本 (běn) with each of its parts in a different colour
本běnroot; stem
  • 木tree · mù
  • 一one · yī

Memory aidA tree 木 with a mark 一 on its roots: root, origin.

The character 质 (zhì) with each of its parts in a different colour
质zhìcharacter
  • 厂cliff · hǎn
  • 十ten · shíSound part
  • 贝sea shell · bèiMeaning part

贝 hints at the meaning (sea shell); 十 (shí) hints at the sound. Compare it with zhì.

How to write 本质

本 5 strokes · 质 8 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

本质 (běnzhì) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 本质 (běnzhì). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 本质

Words with 本

本běn · measure word for books本子běnzi · book课本kèběn · textbook笔记本bǐjìběn · notebook本来běnlái · original根本gēnběn · (not) at all本科běnkē · undergraduate course本领běnlǐng · skill基本jīběn · basic本钱běnqián · capital

Words with 质

质量zhìliàng · quality物质wùzhì · matter性质xìngzhì · nature变质biànzhì · to go bad气质qìzhì · temperament人质rénzhì · hostage地质dìzhì · geology品质pǐnzhì · quality实质shízhì · substance素质sùzhì · quality

More words: Ideas & Concepts

背景bèijǐng · background本领běnlǐng · skill比例bǐlì · proportion标志biāozhì · sign表面biǎomiàn · surface步骤bùzhòu · procedure尊严zūnyán · dignity座右铭zuòyòumíng · motto

FAQs

本质 (běnzhì) means “essence” or “nature”. It is an HSK 5 word.
Say it běnzhì: běn with a 3rd tone, then zhì with a 4th tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
In Traditional characters, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, 本质 is written 本質. The pronunciation is the same.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type benzhi with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 本质 from the suggestions. Typing benzhi into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
本质 is an HSK 5 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

Turn words into conversations

A dictionary gives you the words. A native teacher shows you how to use them. Start with a free 30-minute intro call.

Book a free intro call

Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.