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食色性也

shí sè xìng yědictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
Appetite and lust are only natural (Mencius 6A:4). / By nature we desire food and sex.
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-93076a32c088456a. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

食色性也 食色性也 [shi2 se4 xing4 ye3] /Appetite and lust are only natural (Mencius 6A:4)./By nature we desire food and sex./

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

  • 食
    shí

    to eat / food / animal feed / eclipse

    sì

    to feed (a person or animal)

  • 色
    sè

    color / CL:種|种[zhǒng] / look / appearance / sex

    shǎi

    (coll.) color / used in 色子[shǎi zi]

  • 性
    xìng

    nature / character / property / quality / attribute / sexuality / sex / gender / suffix forming adjective from verb / suffix forming noun from adjective, corresponding to -ness or -ity / essence / CL:個|个[gè]

  • 也
    yě

    also / too / as well / (not ...) either / (used after a verbal or nominal expression X to indicate that X is an extreme or unexpected case) even (X) / (literary) particle having functions similar to 啊[a]

    Yě

    surname Ye

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.