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擅长 (shàn cháng) — to be good at; to be expert in

Definition

擅长 is a general 'be good at' used for skills, sports, or subjects. 善于 focuses more on approach/method; 精通 means 'master' (deeper, more thorough).

verb
to be good atto be expert in

Examples

  • 擅长。
    Tā fēi cháng shàn cháng chàng gē.
    He is very good at singing.
  • 擅长。
    Tā shàn cháng shuō hàn yǔ.
    She is good at speaking Chinese.
  • 擅长。
    Wǒ gē ge shàn cháng pǎo bù.
    My older brother is good at running.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

擅shànto be good at
长chángto excel

擅长 joins 擅 'to be good at' and 长 'to excel' to mean expertise in something.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhands
Sound part声符shēngfú
亶
亶dǎn擅shàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

擅 combines 手 (hands) with 亶, which gives the sound.

Open 擅 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 長; 长 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 長 pictures an old man with long hair. The simplified 长 is a later shorthand, so its strokes do not show that original picture.

Open 长 →
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