<p>Not knowing the context, I would guess that ‘personal interest’ is the best way to express this.  People have professional or academic interests that are connected with work or studies.  In contrast to those, they have hobbies, and these are their personal interests.</p>

<p>‘Inherent interest’ is different – a student could say ‘I’m learning about plant genetics at the moment, but the topic has no inherent interest for me.’  He or she isn’t interested in plant genetics for its own sake, but just to get a good grade on the exam.  I’m not sure how to get this nuance in Chinese though.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-13T15:37:16.290Z
2013-12-13T15:37:16.290Z
neubau
<p>somebody's own preference/interest/favour</p>

<p>'inherent interest' seems to me more like 'intrinsic interest', which doesn't make sense because no 'extrinsic' interest exists.</p>

<p>And, in English, interest has a 2nd meaning of profit, which is not that exact in translation.</p>

<p>To be more comprehensive, 自身的兴趣 belongs to a phenomena in official mandarin, called the 'Virtualization of definite concepts' (might not be exact in translation of the term). We do this to make it sounds more elevated by adding verbs like 执行、实施 to a verb that is already perfect in meaning, or in this case, adding an adjective emphasizing it is very personal, which is, however, less meaningful and just making the phrase seem longer. This is why some authors criticize such elevated language as 官样文章 because it is very rigid and illogical.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-19T07:59:43.603Z
Does "inclination" also mean "intrinsic" "inherent", so it is redundant to say "inherent inclination"?
Newbie
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-19T08:08:52.953Z
No, because 自身 means "my/your/his/her/their own", and has nothing to do with the origin of this interest. The point here is that in comprehension, there is no "intrinsic inclination/interest" since interest is not something that can be forced by others. We don't believe that somebody is gifted with an interest, do we?
Joseph S WU
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-19T07:40:20.600Z
2013-12-19T07:48:48.523Z
2013-12-19T07:48:48.523Z
Joseph S WU
<p>How do you say something is your "自身的兴趣“, instead of being forced by the outside, in English</p>

<p>Is "inherent interest" fine? </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-11T20:00:34.430Z
I am not aware of any special way of saying it. It's simply [possessive pronoun] + interests, e.g., my interests, his interests.
deutschZuid
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-12T22:15:26.617Z
Don't get me wrong, I do understand the nuance in the Chinese phrase. It's just in the English-speaking parts of the world, an interest implies it originates from one's own volition. If a hobby's forced, then it's not one of the individual's interests. It's just.. a forced hobby.
deutschZuid
<translation>
How to say "自身的兴趣“ in English
# How to say "自身的兴趣“ in English

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-12-11)

How do you say something is your "自身的兴趣“, instead of being forced by the outside, in English

Is "inherent interest" fine?

**Tags:** translation

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I am not aware of any special way of saying it. It's simply [possessive pronoun] + interests, e.g., my interests, his interests.  
> **username_1**: Don't get me wrong, I do understand the nuance in the Chinese phrase. It's just in the English-speaking parts of the world, an interest implies it originates from one's own volition. If a hobby's forced, then it's not one of the individual's interests. It's just.. a forced hobby.  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2013-12-13. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

Not knowing the context, I would guess that ‘personal interest’ is the best way to express this. People have professional or academic interests that are connected with work or studies. In contrast to those, they have hobbies, and these are their personal interests.

‘Inherent interest’ is different – a student could say ‘I’m learning about plant genetics at the moment, but the topic has no inherent interest for me.’ He or she isn’t interested in plant genetics for its own sake, but just to get a good grade on the exam. I’m not sure how to get this nuance in Chinese though.


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### Answer by username_3 on 2013-12-19. Score: 1

somebody's own preference/interest/favour

'inherent interest' seems to me more like 'intrinsic interest', which doesn't make sense because no 'extrinsic' interest exists.

And, in English, interest has a 2nd meaning of profit, which is not that exact in translation.

To be more comprehensive, 自身的兴趣 belongs to a phenomena in official mandarin, called the 'Virtualization of definite concepts' (might not be exact in translation of the term). We do this to make it sounds more elevated by adding verbs like 执行、实施 to a verb that is already perfect in meaning, or in this case, adding an adjective emphasizing it is very personal, which is, however, less meaningful and just making the phrase seem longer. This is why some authors criticize such elevated language as 官样文章 because it is very rigid and illogical.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Does "inclination" also mean "intrinsic" "inherent", so it is redundant to say "inherent inclination"?  
> **username_3**: No, because 自身 means "my/your/his/her/their own", and has nothing to do with the origin of this interest. The point here is that in comprehension, there is no "intrinsic inclination/interest" since interest is not something that can be forced by others. We don't believe that somebody is gifted with an interest, do we?  

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