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和善 (hé shàn) — kind and friendly; amiable

Definition

adjective
kind and friendlyamiable

Examples

  • 和善。
    Tā shì yí wèi hěn hé shàn de lǎo rén.
    He is a very kind and friendly old man.
  • 和善。
    Tā de xiào róng fēi cháng hé shàn.
    Her smile is very gentle and amiable.
  • 和善。
    hé shàn De tài dù ràng rén gǎn dào ān xīn.
    A friendly attitude makes people feel at ease.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

和hégentle
善shàngood

和 and 善 both point to a mild, good disposition, giving the sense of being kind and friendly.

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
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
禾
禾hé和hé
Same sound today

和 pairs 禾, which gives the sound, with 口 (mouth), the meaning part; the reference connects this shape to harmony.

Open 和 →

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 →
Appears in
Personality & Traits

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