Definition
不善 is a verb phrase (v.p.) meaning 'not good at' or 'ill-intentioned'. It is formed by negating 善 (good at, kind). Used in patterns like 不善 + object (e.g., 不善言辞 'not good at speaking') and in fixed idioms like 来者不善 'the one who comes is hostile' or 存心不善 'to harbor ill will'. The sense of 'not good at' is the most common; the 'ill' sense appears in set phrases and literary contexts. Be careful not to confuse 不善 (not good at) with 不好 (not good) — 不善 focuses on skill or intention rather than quality.
v.p.
be not good atbe poor at (doing something)(in fixed expressions) ill-intentionedhostilenot kind
Examples
- 不善。Tā bù shàn yǔ rén jiāowǎng.He is not good at socializing.
- 不善，。Láizhě bù shàn, wǒmen yào xiǎoxīn.The one who is coming is not well-intentioned; we must be careful.
- 不善，。Tā cúnxīn bù shàn, qiān wàn bié xiāngxìn tā.He harbors ill intentions; don't trust him at all.
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