性质
xìngzhí · HSK 4
attribute
性 (nature/sex) + 质 (quality/substance) = inherent quality, nature
性 carries the sense of inherent nature (heart radical 忄 + 生 birth), and 质 means substance or quality. Together 性质 names the intrinsic character or attribute of a thing.
性 — heart radical 忄 + 生 (life/birth)
性 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The heart radical 忄 supplies the meaning, pointing to inner feelings or innate qualities, while 生 ('birth, life') gives the sound and hints at what one is born with. It originally meant 'inborn nature' and later extended to 'character,' 'gender,' and 'sex.'