脾气脾氣 píqi — temper, temperament
píqi (second tone, rising)pi2qi
Traditional: 脾氣
temper, temperament
HSK 4· HSK 1–4 (classic)noun
Meanings
temper, temperament
A noun for the temperament someone carries around, good or short. It rarely stands alone as a verb; losing one’s temper on a given occasion is the fixed phrase 发脾气, and the quality itself is judged with 好 or 不好: 脾气好, 脾气不好.
noun
Example sentences
- 他脾气很好，很少生气。他脾氣很好，很少生氣。Tā (first tone, high and level) píqi (second tone, rising) hěn (third tone, dipping) hǎo, (third tone, dipping) hěn (third tone, dipping) shǎo (third tone, dipping) shēngqì. (first tone, high and level)···
He has a good temper — he rarely gets angry.
- 他常常发脾气，所以大家都有点儿怕他。他常常發脾氣，所以大家都有點兒怕他。Tā (first tone, high and level) chángcháng (second tone, rising) fā (first tone, high and level) píqi, (second tone, rising) suǒyǐ (third tone, dipping) dàjiā (fourth tone, falling) dōu (first tone, high and level) yǒudiǎnr (third tone, dipping) pà (fourth tone, falling) tā. (first tone, high and level)···
He often loses his temper, so everyone is a little afraid of him.
Common mistakes
Not quite他常常脾气，所以大家都怕他。
Correct他常常发脾气，所以大家都怕他。
脾气 is a noun and cannot act as a verb by itself. Losing one’s temper on a given occasion is always the set phrase 发脾气 — 脾气 needs 发 in front of it, or 好/不好 after it, to do anything in a sentence.