Learn Hardcore Chinese: tā de xìnggé hěn ānjìng, dànshì duì xuéxí de tàidu hěn hǎo. - His personality is very quiet, but his attitude toward studying is very good.

性格: the neutral, everyday word for personality.
- Examples:
  - 他性格很安静。= His personality is very quiet.
  - 她性格很开朗。= Her personality is very cheerful.
个性: closer to “individuality / personal style”, often with a feeling of being distinctive or unique.
- 他很有个性。= He’s very individual / has a strong personality.
性情: more about temperament / emotional nature, slightly more literary.
- 他性情温和。= His temperament is gentle.

In this sentence, 性格 is the most natural and neutral choice to talk about what he is like as a person in general.

Why say 他的性格很安静 instead of just 他很安静? Is there a difference?

Both are correct, but they focus on slightly different things:

他很安静。
- Literally: He is very quiet.
- This can describe:
  - his general personality, or
  - his state/behavior in a particular situation (e.g., “He’s being very quiet right now”).
他的性格很安静。
- Literally: His personality is very quiet.
- This makes it clear that you are talking about his underlying character, not just how he acts in one moment.

So using 性格 emphasizes a stable trait (“by nature he is quiet”), not just temporary behavior.

What does 的 (de) do after 他 and after 学习? Are these the same 的? Can I leave them out?

Yes, it’s the same particle 的, and in both places it turns something into an attributive modifier for the following noun.

他的性格
- 他 = he
- 的 = possessive/attributive marker
- 性格 = character, personality
- Together: “his personality”
对学习的态度
- 对学习 = toward study/studying
- 的 = turns this phrase into an adjective-like modifier
- 态度 = attitude
- Together: “(someone’s) attitude toward study”

In both cases, X + 的 + N = “the N that is related to X” (often “X’s N”).

Here, you cannot just drop 的:

✗ 他性格很安静 is possible in some fast/colloquial speech but sounds clipped; 他的性格 is standard.
✗ 对学习态度很好 is not natural; 对学习的态度 is the normal structure.

So in this sentence, both 的 are needed.

Why is 很 (hěn) used twice? Does it really mean “very” here?

很 before adjectives has two roles in modern Mandarin:

True degree meaning: “very / quite”
- If you say it with emphasis, it really means “very”:
  - 他今天很安静。= He is very quiet today.
Linking function with a neutral degree (“is …”)
- In simple descriptions, especially with no contrast, 很 often works like a neutral linker between the subject and the adjective.
- 他很安静 is often translated just as “He is quiet.”, not necessarily “very quiet.”

Without 很, adjectives in predicative position can sound too strong or contrastive:

他性格安静。
- Feels like you are stressing a contrast: “His personality is quiet (as opposed to something else).”

So:

他的性格很安静 – natural, neutral description.
态度很好 – again, natural and neutral.

Here, the two 很 help form natural “Subject + 很 + Adjective” patterns. Native speakers often use 很 this way even when it isn’t strongly “very” in English.

Why is there no 是 (shì) before 安静 or 好? I thought Chinese needed 是 for “to be”.

Chinese only uses 是 in certain cases. A key rule:

Use 是 when the complement is a noun:
- 他是老师。= He is a teacher.
- 这是书。= This is a book.
Do NOT use 是 directly before a simple adjective in this kind of sentence:
- ✔ 他很安静。= He is quiet.
- ✗ 他是安静。 (unnatural/wrong)
- ✔ 他的态度很好。= His attitude is good.
- ✗ 他的态度是好。

In your sentence:

性格 / 态度 are nouns.
安静 / 好 are adjectives (stative verbs).
Pattern: [noun/subject] + 很 + adjective – no 是.

What exactly does 安静 (ānjìng) mean here? Can it describe people as well as places?

Yes. 安静 means “quiet, peaceful, not noisy”, and it can describe:

Environments / places
- 这个图书馆很安静。= This library is very quiet.
- 晚上这里很安静。= It’s very quiet here at night.
People (either behavior or personality)
- 他今天很安静。= He is very quiet today (behavior right now).
- 她的性格很安静。= Her personality is quiet (a stable trait).

In your sentence, 性的格很安静 clearly refers to personality because of 性格. It means he tends not to be talkative, noisy, or very outgoing.

How does the phrase 对学习的态度 work? What is the function of 对 (duì) and 的 here?

This is a very common pattern:

对 + [something] + (的) + 态度 = attitude toward something

对 (duì) here is a preposition meaning “toward / regarding / in relation to”.
学习 = study, studying.
对学习 = toward study/studying.
的 turns 对学习 into a modifier for 态度.
态度 = attitude.

So 对学习的态度 literally means “the attitude which is toward studying” → attitude toward studying.

Similar patterns:

对工作(的)态度 = attitude toward work
对别人的态度 = attitude toward other people
对环境的看法 = opinion about the environment

The 的 is usually included in careful speech/writing here, and makes the phrase feel complete and natural.

Is 学习 (xuéxí) in this sentence a verb (“to study”) or a noun (“study / studies”)?

Grammatically, Chinese doesn’t strictly separate verbs and nouns the way English does, and many words can function as both.

In 对学习的态度:

You can think of 学习 as a noun-like word: “study / studying (in general)”.
The whole phrase is best translated as “attitude toward study/studying”.

In other contexts, 学习 clearly behaves like a verb:

我在学习汉语。= I am studying Chinese.
他每天学习到很晚。= He studies until very late every day.

So here it’s functioning like an English gerund (“studying”), even though Chinese does not need any special ending to show that.

Why isn’t 他 (tā) repeated in the second half “但是对学习的态度很好”? Who is the subject there?

The understood subject is still 他.

Chinese often omits the subject in the second clause if it is the same as in the first clause and the meaning is clear from context.

Full, explicit version:

他的性格很安静，但是他对学习的态度很好。
= His personality is very quiet, but his attitude toward study is very good.

The sentence you have simply drops the second 他:

他(的性格)很安静，
但是(他)对学习的态度很好。

This is very natural in Chinese and avoids repetition. If you want to be more explicit, you can absolutely say:

但是他对学习的态度很好。

(What you should not say is ✗他的对学习的态度 – the correct forms are 他对学习的态度 or 对学习的态度 with 他 understood.)

What is the difference between 但是 (dànshì) and words like 但 (dàn), 可是 (kěshì), and 不过 (búguò)? Could I replace 但是 here?

All four can translate to “but / however”, and in this sentence you can use any of them, with small differences in feel.

General tendencies:

但是
- Very common, slightly formal/neutral.
- Works in both spoken and written Chinese.
- Good “default” for “but”.
但
- Shorter, feels more written or slightly more literary.
- Common in written text, headlines, or when the clause is short.
可是
- Very common in speech, a bit more colloquial.
- Often used with a slight emotional tone: “but actually…”.
不过
- Also “but / however”, sometimes with a softer, “though / however” nuance.

In your sentence:

他性格很安静，但是对学习的态度很好。
他性格很安静，可是对学习的态度很好。
他性格很安静，不过对学习的态度很好。
他性格很安静，但对学习的态度很好。

All are acceptable; 但是 is a safe, neutral choice.

Why do people sometimes pronounce 很好 almost like “hén hǎo” instead of “hěn hǎo”?

That’s because of third‑tone sandhi (tone change rules).

Both 很 (hěn) and 好 (hǎo) are third tone words.
The rule: when two third tones come together, the first one is pronounced as a second tone, but it is still written as third tone.

So:

很好 is written hěn hǎo,
but pronounced hén hǎo (2nd tone + 3rd tone).

Same with:

你好 → written nǐ hǎo, pronounced ní hǎo.
很晚 → hěn wǎn, pronounced hén wǎn.

In 很安静, 安 (ān) is first tone, so there is no sandhi change; 很 stays as a third tone.

In writing, why do we use 他 (he) here? What about 她 (she) or 它 (it)? Does spoken Chinese distinguish “he” and “she”?

In modern written Chinese:

他 = he / him (male or generic)
她 = she / her (female)
它 = it (things, animals, abstract things)
祂 = sometimes used for God/deities in religious contexts

But in speech:

All of these are pronounced tā (first tone).
There is no difference in pronunciation between “he” and “she”.

Historically, Chinese only had 他 for “he/they”; 她 is a relatively modern invention influenced by European languages. In many contexts, 他 is still used as a generic pronoun when the gender is unknown or not important.

In your sentence:

他(的性格很安静) could mean:
- specifically “he”, or
- a generic “they / this person” in some contexts.

If the person is clearly female and you want to reflect that in writing, you would use 她的性格很安静 instead.