Han character

善Category:Translingual lemmas#口09善Category:Translingual terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys#口09善Category:Translingual symbols#口09善Category:Translingual terms with redundant script codes#口09善Category:Translingual entries with incorrect language header#口09善Category:Pages with entries#善Category:Pages with 5 entries#善 (Kangxi radical 30, 口+9, 12 strokes, Cangjie input 廿土廿口 (TGTR) or 廿廿口 (TTR), four-corner 8060₅, composition ⿻羊⿱䒑口 or ⿳𦍌䒑口)Category:Han char with multiple canjCategory:Han char with multiple idsCategory:Han script characters#口09善

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 善
Western Zhou	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Originally written 譱 in bronze inscriptions, consisting of two 言 (OC *ŋan) and one 羊. The 言 (OC *ŋan) might have served as the phonetic component, while 羊 represented the sense "good; beautiful" (see 祥, 義). The small seal script of 善 was simplified from the bronze inscription form, consisting of one 言 below one 羊.

According to Shuowen, the form 譱 is an ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意)Category:Han ideogrammic compounds#口09: 誩 (“to wrangle”) + 羊 (“sheep”) – good; virtuous. This interpretation may be difficult to comprehend.

Etymology

Probably related to 繕 (OC *ɡjens, “to mend; to repair”).

Pronunciation

Definitions

善Category:Chinese lemmas#口09Category:Chinese hanzi#口09Category:Chinese entries with incorrect language header#口09Category:Pages with entries#善Category:Pages with 5 entries#善

1. good; virtuous; charitable; kind

   Antonym: 惡 / 恶

   善事  ―  shànshì  ―  good deed; charitable deedCategory:Mandarin terms with collocations

   • 人之初，性本善。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: Three Character Classic, circa 13^th century CE

     Rén zhī chū, xìng běn shàn. [Pinyin]

     Men at their birth, are naturally good.

     Category:Classical Chinese terms with quotations

   • 子曰：「善人為邦百年，亦可以勝殘去殺矣。誠哉是言也！」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     子曰：「善人为邦百年，亦可以胜残去杀矣。诚哉是言也！」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE

     Zǐyuē: “Shànrén wéi bāng bǎinián, yì kěyǐ shèngcánqùshā yǐ. Chéng zāi shì yán yě!” [Pinyin]

     The Master said, "'If good men were to govern a country in succession for a hundred years, they would be able to transform the violently bad, and dispense with capital punishments.' True indeed is this saying!"

     Category:Classical Chinese terms with quotations
2. good; fine; desirable

   善策  ―  shàncè  ―  good solutionCategory:Mandarin terms with collocations

   • 其間名山水而州者以百數，永最善。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     其间名山水而州者以百数，永最善。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: c. 9th century, Liu Zongyuan, 遊黃溪記Category:Chinese links with redundant wikilinks#善Category:Chinese links with redundant alt parameters#善

     Qíjiān míng shānshuǐ ér zhōu zhě yǐ bǎi shù, Yǒng zuì shàn. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation) Category:Requests for translations of Classical Chinese quotations

     Category:Classical Chinese terms with quotations
   1. (literaryCategory:Chinese literary terms#口09) to regard as good

      • 王如善之，則何為不行？ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
        王如善之，则何为不行？ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

        From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE

        Wáng rú shàn zhī, zé héwéi bù xíng? [Pinyin]

        Since your Majesty deems them excellent, why do you not practise them?

        Category:Classical Chinese terms with quotations
3. good deed

   行善  ―  xíngshàn  ―  to do good deedsCategory:Mandarin terms with collocations

4. to be good at

   善交際／善交际  ―  shàn jiāojì  ―  to be a mixerCategory:Mandarin terms with collocations

   能歌善舞  ―  nénggēshànwǔ  ―  to be good at singing and dancingCategory:Mandarin terms with collocations

   • 故善附民者，是乃善用兵者也。故兵要在乎善附民而已。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: The Art of War, circa 5^th century BCE

     Gù shàn fù mín zhě, shì nǎi shàn yòngbīng zhě yě. Gù bīng yào zàihū shàn fù mín éryǐ. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation) Category:Requests for translations of Classical Chinese quotations

     Category:Classical Chinese terms with quotations
5. easily

   善變／善变  ―  shànbiàn  ―  to be changeable; to be prone or apt to changeCategory:Mandarin terms with collocations

   善忘  ―  shànwàng  ―  forgetfulCategory:Mandarin terms with collocations

6. appropriately; all out; earnestly

   善用  ―  shànyòng  ―  to use properlyCategory:Mandarin terms with collocations

   善自珍重  ―  shàn zì zhēnzhòng  ―  (please add an English translation of this usage example) Category:Requests for translations of Mandarin usage examplesCategory:Mandarin terms with collocations

7. to be friendly with; to be on friendly terms with

   • 夷吾善鮑叔牙。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     夷吾善鲍叔牙。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Lü Buwei, Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals, 239 BCE

     Yíwú shàn Bào Shūyá. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation) Category:Requests for translations of Classical Chinese quotations

     Category:Classical Chinese terms with quotations

   • 其後秦欲伐齊，齊、楚之交善，惠王患之。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     其后秦欲伐齐，齐、楚之交善，惠王患之。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Zhanguo Ce, circa 5^th – 3^rd centuries BCE

     Qíhòu Qín yù fá Qí, Qí, chǔ zhī jiāo shàn, Huì Wáng huàn zhī. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation) Category:Requests for translations of Classical Chinese quotations

     Category:Classical Chinese terms with quotations
8. (literaryCategory:Chinese literary terms#口09) to like

   • 亦余心之所善兮，雖九死其猶未悔。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     亦余心之所善兮，虽九死其犹未悔。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Verses of Chu, 4^th century BCE – 2^nd century CE

     Yì yú xīn zhī suǒ shàn xī, suī jiǔ sǐ qí yóuwèi huǐ. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation) Category:Requests for translations of Classical Chinese quotations

     Category:Classical Chinese terms with quotations
9. (literaryCategory:Chinese literary terms#口09) Used to express agreement or commendation.; Good!

   • 孟獻子曰：「請城虎牢以偪鄭。」知武子曰：「善。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     孟献子曰：「请城虎牢以偪郑。」知武子曰：「善。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE, translation from Zuozhuan: Commentary on the "Spring and Autumn Annals" (2017), by Stephen Durrant, Wai-yee Li and David Schaberg

     Mèng Xiànzǐ yuē: “Qǐng chéng Hǔláo yǐ bī Zhèng.” Zhī Wǔzǐ yuē: “Shàn.” [Pinyin]

     Meng Xianzi said, "I request that Hulao be fortified to exert pressure on Zheng." Zhi Ying said, "Excellent."

     Category:Classical Chinese terms with quotations
10. (TaishaneseCategory:Taishanese Chinese#口09, euphemisticCategory:Chinese euphemisms#口09) to die

    去善 [Taishanese]  ―  hui¹ sen⁵ [Wiktionary]  ―  go to hellCategory:Taishanese terms with usage examples

Compounds

References

• “善”, in 漢語多功能字庫Category:Chinese terms with redundant script codes#善 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學Category:Chinese links with redundant wikilinks#善Category:Chinese links with redundant alt parameters#善 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
• 李如龙 [Li, Ru-long]; 刘福铸 [Liu, Fu-zhu]; 吴华英 [Wu, Hua-ying]; 黄国城 [Huang, Guo-cheng] (2019), “善”, in 莆仙方言调查报告 [Investigation Report on Puxian Dialect] (overall work in Mandarin and Puxian Min), Xiamen University Press, →ISBN, page 215.

Kanji

(Sixth grade kyōiku kanji)

1. virtue
2. goodness

Etymology

From Middle ChineseCategory:Japanese terms derived from Middle Chinese#せん'Category:Japanese terms with redundant sortkeys#せん' 善 (MC dzyenX).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ぜん [zéꜜǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [d͡zẽ̞ɴ]Category:Japanese terms with IPA pronunciation#せん'

Noun

善(ぜん) • (zenCategory:Japanese links with redundant wikilinks#善Category:Japanese links with redundant alt parameters#善) Category:Japanese lemmas#せん'Category:Japanese terms with redundant sortkeys#せん'Category:Japanese nouns#せん'Category:Japanese terms spelled with sixth grade kanji#せん'Category:Japanese terms with 1 kanji#せん'Category:Japanese terms spelled with 善#せん'Category:Japanese single-kanji terms#せん'Category:Japanese entries with incorrect language header#せん'Category:Pages with entries#善Category:Pages with 5 entries#善

1. good, good deed

   Antonym: 悪 (aku)

   • 1946, 三木清, 親鸞‎, 青空文庫:

     外(そと)においてどれほど善(ぜん)を行(おこ)なおうとしても、悪心(あくしん)は絶(た)えず裏(うら)から潜(ひそ)んでくる。

     Soto ni oite dore hodo zen o okonaō to shite mo, akushin wa taezu ura kara hisonde kuru.

     No matter how much good one tries to do outside, evil thoughts will always come lurking from behind it.

     Category:Japanese terms with usage examples#せん'Category:Japanese terms with usage examples#せん'

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Middle Korean readings, if any”)Category:Requests for etymologies in Korean entries#善

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰʌ̹n]
• Phonetic hangul: [선]

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

善

善 (eumhun 착할 선 (chakhal seon))Category:Korean lemmas#선Category:Korean terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys#선Category:Korean hanja#선Category:Korean entries with incorrect language header#선Category:Pages with entries#善Category:Pages with 5 entries#善

1. hanja form^? of 선 (“good, nice”)Category:Korean hanja forms#善

Han character

善: Hán Nôm readings: thiệnCategory:Vietnamese Han characters with unconfirmed readings#口09 Category:Vietnamese lemmas Category:Vietnamese Han characters

1. chữ Hán form of thiện (“kind, virtue, good”)Category:Vietnamese Chữ Hán