本性 běnxìng natural instincts
natural instincts; nature; inherent quality
How to remember 本性: 本 source + 性 nature = natural instincts.
Characters
How it is used
- 'Innate nature, inherent character' - 本性难移 (běnxìng nán yí) one's nature is hard to change.
- The deep-seated disposition one is born with, revealed under pressure: 露出本性.
- Contrast 性格 (xìnggé, personality, more shaped by life); 本性 is the essential core.