精髓 (jīngsuǐ) — essence; quintessence

Characters in this word

Strokes: 14
Radical: 米 — rice, millet, grain
Made of: 米 rice, millet, grain 青 blue, green
How it's built: Phono-semantic — one part hints at the meaning, another at the sound

Strokes: 21
Radical: 骨 — bone
How it's built: Phono-semantic — one part hints at the meaning, another at the sound

这本书的精髓不在于技巧罗列，而在于它重新定义了学习与实践的关系。 Zhè běn shū de jīngsuǐ bú zài yú jìqiǎo luóliè, ér zài yú tā chóngxīn dìngyì le xuéxí yǔ shíjiàn de guānxì. The essence of this book lies not in listing techniques, but in redefining the relationship between learning and practice.
太极拳的精髓在于以柔克刚，不在于力气大。 Tàijíquán de jīngsuǐ zàiyú yǐ róu kè gāng, bú zàiyú lìqi dà. The essence of tai chi lies in overcoming hardness with softness, not in being strong.
想学会做菜，要先弄懂这道菜的精髓，而不是死记配方。 Xiǎng xuéhuì zuò cài, yào xiān nòng dǒng zhè dào cài de jīngsuǐ, ér bú shì sǐjì pèifāng. To learn to cook, first understand the essence of the dish rather than memorising the recipe.