善
shàn
Pinyin

Definition

善
 - 
shàn
  1. good (virtuous)
  2. benevolent
  3. well-disposed
  4. good at sth
  5. to improve or perfect

Character Decomposition

Compounds (8)

膳
shàn
  1. 1 meals
膳
shàn
  1. 1 variant: 膳 shàn
缮
shàn
  1. 1 to repair
  2. 2 to mend
  3. 3 to rewrite
  4. 4 to transcribe
蟮
shàn
  1. 1 see also: 蛐蟮 qū shan
鳝
shàn
  1. 1 variant: 鳝 shàn

Related Words (20)

善
shàn
  1. 1 good (virtuous)
  2. 2 benevolent
  3. 3 well-disposed
  4. 4 good at sth
  5. 5 to improve or perfect
善于
shàn yú
  1. 1 to be good at
  2. 2 to be adept at
善良
shàn liáng
  1. 1 good and honest
  2. 2 kindhearted
完善
wán shàn
  1. 1 (of systems, facilities etc) comprehensive
  2. 2 well-developed
  3. 3 excellent
  4. 4 to refine
  5. 5 to improve
改善
gǎi shàn
  1. 1 to make better
  2. 2 to improve
  3. 3 classifier: 个 gè

Idioms (20)

乏善可陈
fá shàn kě chén
  1. 1 to be nothing to write home about (idiom)
来者不善，善者不来
lái zhě bù shàn , shàn zhě bù lái
  1. 1 He who comes is surely ill-intentioned, no-one well-meaning will come (idiom).
  2. 2 Be careful not to trust foreigners.
  3. 3 Beware of Greeks bearing gifts!
劝善惩恶
quàn shàn chéng è
  1. 1 to encourage virtue and punish evil (idiom); fig. poetic justice
  2. 2 you get what's coming to you
善始善终
shàn shǐ shàn zhōng
  1. 1 where there's a start, there's a finish (idiom); to finish once one starts sth
  2. 2 to carry things through
  3. 3 I started, so I'll finish.
善有善报
shàn yǒu shàn bào
  1. 1 virtue has its rewards (idiom); one good turn deserves another

Sample Sentences

故善用兵者，屈人之兵而非战也，拔人之城而非攻也，毁人之国而非久也，必以全争于天下。
gù shànyòng bīng zhě ，qū rén zhī bīng ér Fēi zhàn yě ，bá rén zhī chéng ér fēi gōng yě ，huǐ rén zhī guó ér Fēi jiǔ yě ，bì yǐ quán zhēng yú tiānxià 。
Well use of the army is to defeat the enemy and take down the city without going into battle. Complete destruction of the enemy’s country is not a long term solution rather to seek a comprehensive solution.
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是故百战百胜，非善之善者也；不战而屈人之兵，善之善者也。
shìgù bǎizhànbǎishèng ，fēi shànzhīshàn zhě yě ；bùzhàn ér qū rén zhī bīng ，shànzhīshàn zhě yě 。
Winning every war is not the best solution but not warring yet able to make your enemy surrender is the best way.
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善用兵者，役不再籍，粮不三载；取用于国，因粮于敌，故军食可足也。
shàn yòngbīng zhě ，yì bùzài jí ，liáng bù sǎnzài ；qǔ yòngyú guó ，yīn liáng yú dí ，gù jūnshí kě zú yě 。
Know how to use the army without having to add more soldiers and food; arrange for the transportation of food and necessities once and seize these from the enemy to save our own inventory.
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深化金融改革，完善大中小金融机构健康发展的格局。
shēnhuà jīnróng gǎigé ，wánshàn dà zhōng xiǎo jīnróngjīgòu jiànkāng fāzhǎn de géjú 。
Deepen financial reform and improve the healthy development of large, medium and small financial institutions
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绿色能源的利用保护了绿水青山、改善了生产生活环境，也为农村旅游产业兴起踏出新路子。
lǜsè néngyuán de lìyòng bǎohù le lǜshuǐ qīngshān 、gǎishàn le shēngchǎn shēnghuó huánjìng ，yě wèi nóngcūn lǚyóu chǎnyè xīngqǐ tà chū Xīn lùzi 。
The use of green energy has protected the green mountains and hills, improved the production and living environment, and also set a new path for the development of rural tourism industry.
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这些开拓事业之所以名垂青史，是因为使用的不是战马和长矛而是驼队和善意；依靠的不是坚船和利炮而是宝船和友谊。一代又一代“丝路人”架起了东西方合作的纽带、和平的桥梁。
zhèxiē kāituò shìyè zhīsuǒyǐ míngchuíqīngshǐ ，shì yīnwèi shǐyòng de búshi zhànmǎ hé chángmáo érshì tuó duì hé shànyì ；yīkào de búshi jiān chuán hé lì pào érshì bǎo chuán hé yǒuyì 。yīdài yòu yīdài “sīlùrén ”jià qǐ le dōngxīfāng hézuò de niǔdài 、hépíng de qiáoliáng 。
The reason these pioneering enterprises went down in history is because they did not make use of war horses and pikes, but rather camel caravans and goodwill; they relied not on sturdy warships and fierce cannon-fire, but treasure ships and friendship. Generation after generation of Silk Road travellers built a link of cooperation between East and West, a bridge of peace.
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是，这个月是有点奇怪，眼瞅着都快过去了，还没见你歇斯底里地多愁善感，或者火冒三丈地哭天抢地。
shì ，zhè ge yuè shì yǒudiǎnr qíguài ，yǎnchǒuzhe dōu kuài guòqù le ，hái méi jiàn nǐ xiēsīdǐlǐ de duōchóushàngǎn ，huò zhě huǒmàosānzhàng de kūtiānqiǎngdì 。
Yes, this month you've been a bit strange. It'll all be over in the blink of an eye, I still haven't seen you in hysteric fits of melancholy, or crying and making a fuss in fits of anger.
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可事实上，妈妈比较细心，也善于照顾小婴儿，比较能对孩子的感受感同身受。那爸爸相对来说就粗枝大叶了些，真的很怀疑他们是否可以照顾好孩子。
kě shìshíshàng ，māma bǐjiào xìxīn ，yě shànyú zhàogu xiǎo yīngér ，bǐjiào néng duì háizi de gǎnshòu gǎntóngshēnshòu 。nà bàba xiāngduì láishuō jiù cūzhī dàyè le xiē ，zhēnde hěn huáiyí tāmen shìfǒu kěyǐ zhàogu hǎo háizi 。
But in fact, mothers are more meticulous, and are better at looking after infants, in that they can empathize more with children. Whereas fathers are a little more sloppy. So I really doubt their ability to look after children.
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与其说是我们对他们有偏见，不如说是他们自己都不尊重自己，没有尽力用好的言行举止来改善人们对他们的刻板印象。
yǔqí shuō shì wǒmen duì tāmen yǒu piānjiàn ，bùrú shuō shì tāmen zìjǐ dōu bù zūnzhòng zìjǐ ，méiyǒu jìnlì yòng hǎo de yánxíng jǔzhǐ lái gǎishàn rénmen duì tāmen de kèbǎnyìnxiàng 。
Rather than say I am prejudiced against them, I'd say they don't even respect themselves. They haven't tried their hardest to improve people's stereotypes of them through their speech, behaviour and bearing.
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你真的很有悟性，就是那些特殊的语音，我们练习时，把注意力集中在瑜伽语音上，便能逐渐超越愚昧无知和激情冲动，处于良善平和的状态。
nǐ zhēn de hěnyǒu wùxìng ，jiùshì nàxiē tèshū yǔyīn ，wǒmen liànxí shí ，bǎ zhùyìlì jízhōng zài yújiā yǔyīn shàng ，biàn néng zhújiàn chāoyuè yúmèi wúzhī hé jīqíng chōngdòng ，chǔyú lángshàn pínghé de zhuàngtài 。
You really are quite perceptive. It is those special sounds, the yoga words that you have to focus your attention on to be able to gradually overcome ignorance and passionate impulse, and get into a good and serene state of mind.
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