Dong Chinese dictionary

zhì

nature, substance

pledge, pawn

Phonosemantic compound. 斦 represents the sound and 貝 represents the meaning.

Components

斦 Sound component

zhì

chopping block

貝 Meaning component

bèi

sea shell

In ancient China shells were used as currency.

貝 hints at the original meaning of 質, "pledge, pawn", which is no longer the most common meaning of 質 in modern Mandarin.

Evolution

Bronze script

Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Regular script

Modern

Definitions

zhì

matter, material, substance; character; nature; quality; plain; to pawn; pledge; hostage; to question; Taiwan pr. [zhí]

Most common words with 質

Component uses

Sound component in 2 characters (1 verified)

Sources

季旭昇《說文新證》p. 522