Ch 24 · Lesson 8Mandarin · Chapter 24 · Lesson 8 · Grammar primer
性: abstract nouns like 重要性
turns a two-syllable adjective into the quality itself: , important, becomes , importance. The noun belongs to writing; in speech, say .
The short version
。Dàjiā dōu zhīdào ānquán de zhòngyàoxìng.
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Add (xìng) to a two-syllable adjective and you get the quality itself, like English -ness or -ity: (zhòngyào), important, becomes (zhòngyàoxìng), importance. The noun belongs to writing. In speech, say the adjective: (zhè hěn zhòngyào), this matters.
The whole system on one screen
The colours stay the same all page long:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| zhòngyàoxìng | importance |
| kěnéngxìng | possibility |
| ānquánxìng | safety |
化 | xiàndàihuà | modernise, modernisation |
化 | quánqiúhuà | globalisation |
简化 | jiǎnhuà | simplify |
- 这很重要 zhè hěn zhòngyào: this matters
- 这件事的重要性 zhè jiàn shì de zhòngyàoxìng: the importance of this
Both suffixes belong mainly to writing: news, reports, essays, notices. In speech, say the plain adjective.
性 (xìng): a quality becomes a noun
Add (xìng) to a two-syllable adjective and you get the quality itself, a thing you can talk about:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| zhòngyàoxìng | importance (from important) |
| kěnéngxìng | possibility (from possible) |
| ānquánxìng | safety (from safe) |
| bìyàoxìng | necessity (from necessary) |
Most (xìng) words you will meet are built on two-syllable bases, giving three beats. Some older words have one-syllable bases, such as (gèxìng), personality, but you cannot add to any adjective: learn the common ones as words.
A 性 (xìng) noun in a sentence
The result is a plain noun. It can be the subject or the object, and a modifier usually joins it with (de):
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Zhè zhǒng kěnéngxìng hěn xiǎo. | That possibility is small |
。 | Dàjiā dōu zhīdào jiàoyù de zhòngyàoxìng. | Everyone knows how important education is |
。 | Zhè zhǒng chē de ānquánxìng hěn gāo. | This kind of car is very safe |
When you count or point at a (xìng) noun, (zhǒng), kind, is the usual measure word: 。 (Yǒu liǎng zhǒng kěnéngxìng.), there are two possibilities. Technical writing also drops the (de) after a noun: (qìchē ānquánxìng), car safety.
Say it short, write it long
The trap is bringing the written noun into speech. All four are correct; only the plain ones sound normal at dinner:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Zhè zhǒng chē hěn ānquán. | This car is very safe (speech) |
。 | Zhè zhǒng chē de ānquánxìng hěn gāo. | This car's safety is high (writing) |
。 | Jiàoyù hěn zhòngyào. | Education matters (speech) |
。 | Wǒmen yào kàndào jiàoyù de zhòngyàoxìng. | We must see how education matters (writing) |
If you can say it with an adjective, say it with the adjective. Save the noun for writing, or for when the quality itself is what you are arguing about. A few (xìng) nouns have made it into everyday speech, above all (kěnéngxìng): 。 (Kěnéngxìng bú dà.), not very likely, is heard all the time.
Going further: 化 (huà): a state becomes a process and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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