善 (shàn) — virtuous; kind-hearted; benevolent; good (in a moral sense); well-disposed; good at; skilled in
Definition
善 (shàn) is the single-character base for 'good/virtuous' and 'good at' (e.g. 善于). As an adjective meaning 'kind-hearted,' 善良 is the everyday choice; 善 itself leans more formal/literary.
adjective
virtuouskind-heartedbenevolentgood (in a moral sense)well-disposedgood atskilled in
Examples
- 。Tā shì yí gè shàn rén.He is a virtuous person.
- 善。Tā shàn shū fǎ.He is good at calligraphy.
- 。Tā chōng mǎn shàn yì.He is full of goodwill.
Origin
Compound ideograph六书liùshū
会意huìyìTwo or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.
- 誩誩jìngto wrangle
- 羊羊yángsheep
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.
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