DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
善
Mandarin · pinyin shàn
Meanings
- good (virtuous)
- benevolent
- well-disposed
- good at sth
- to improve or perfect
Characters in this entry
- 善
- shàn · good, virtuous, charitable, kind
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
4 · shan4
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
1character link46same-tone records
Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.Read this spelling in Classical texts
Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
Compare dictionary sources Rime · Wiktionary
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
sin6
Cantonese word readings for 善. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
character
- good; virtuous; charitable; kind
- good; fine; desirable
- good; fine; desirable — (literary) to regard as good
- good deed
- to be good at
- easily
- appropriately; all out; earnestly
- to be friendly with; to be on friendly terms with
- (literary) to like
- (literary) Used to express agreement or commendation.; Good!
- (Taishanese, euphemistic) to die
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack