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善于 (shàn yú) — to be good at, to be adept at

Definition

善于 (shànyú) means 'be good at', often for natural ability in skills like communication. 擅长 focuses more on trained expertise, while 胜任 is used for being qualified to do a specific job or task.

verb
to be good atto be adept at

Examples

  • 善于。
    Tā shàn yú hé bié rén gōu tōng.
    He is good at communicating with others.
  • 善于。
    Nǐ yīng gāi shàn yú lì yòng zì jǐ de yōu shì.
    You should be good at using your strengths.
  • 。
    Tā bú shàn yú chǔ lǐ jǐn jí qíng kuàng.
    He is not good at handling emergencies.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

善shàngood
于yúat

善于 pairs 善 'good' with 于 'at' to point out where someone is skilled.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

An earlier form of 善 joined 羊, a sheep linked with goodness or beauty, and 誩, described as a wrangle; the reference says this meaning link is hard to understand.

Open 善 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 一一yīflat stream of air
  • 丂丂kǎoto exhale

The old shape of 于 may have pictured an ancient wind instrument. Another explanation reads 一 as a flat stream of air and 丂 as an exhaling mark.

Open 于 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Personality & Traits

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