实质 shízhì substance
substance; essence
How to remember 实质: 实 real + 质 essence = substance.
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How it is used
- The essence / substance beneath the surface: 问题的实质 (wèntí de shízhì) the crux of the issue, 实质性进展 (substantive progress).
- Often adjectival 实质性 = substantive/material, opposed to superficial or formal.
- Compare 本质 (běnzhì), the intrinsic nature; 实质 stresses 'what it really amounts to' in practice.