善

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)

• 僐, 墡, 嫸, 㵛, 橏, 㷽, 膳, 磰, 繕(缮), 蟮, 鐥(䦅), 饍, 鱔(鳝), 鄯, 㪨, 敾, 歚

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 197, character 18
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 3904
• Dae Jaweon: page 418, character 38
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 660, character 2
• Unihan data for U+5584

• Unihan data for U+2F845

• Unihan data for U+2F846

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): 誩 (“to wrangle”) + 羊 (“sheep”) – good; virtuous. This interpretation may be difficult to comprehend.

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

善

1. good; virtuous; charitable; kind

   Antonym: 惡 / 恶

   善事  ―  shànshì  ―  good deed; charitable deed

   • 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.

   • 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!"

2. good; fine; desirable

   善策  ―  shàncè  ―  good solution

   • 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

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

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   1. (literary) to regard as good

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

3. good deed

   行善  ―  xíngshàn  ―  to do good deeds

4. to be good at

   善交際／善交际  ―  shàn jiāojì  ―  to be a mixer

   能歌善舞  ―  nénggēshànwǔ  ―  to be good at singing and dancing

   • 故善附民者，是乃善用兵者也。故兵要在乎善附民而已。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, 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)

5. easily

   善變／善变  ―  shànbiàn  ―  to be changeable; to be prone or apt to change

   善忘  ―  shànwàng  ―  forgetful

6. appropriately; all out; earnestly

   善用  ―  shànyòng  ―  to use properly

   善自珍重  ―  shàn zì zhēnzhòng  ―  (please add an English translation of this usage example)

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

   • 夷吾善鮑叔牙。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
     夷吾善鲍叔牙。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, 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)

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

8. (literary) to like

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

9. (literary) Used to express agreement or commendation.; Good!

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

10. (Taishanese, euphemistic) to die

    去善 [Taishanese]  ―  hui¹ sen⁵ [Wiktionary]  ―  go to hell

• “善”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[1], 香港中文大學 (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.

(Sixth grade kyōiku kanji)

1. virtue
2. goodness

• Go-on: ぜん (zen, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: せん (sen)
• Kun: よい (yoi, 善い, Jōyō)
• Nanori: よし (yoshi)

From Middle Chinese 善 (MC dzyenX).

• (Tokyo) ぜん [zéꜜǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [d͡zẽ̞ɴ]

善(ぜん) • (zen) 

1. good, good deed

   Antonym: 悪 (aku)

   • 1946, 三木清, 親鸞‎^[2], 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.

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Middle Korean readings, if any”)

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

Wikisource

善 (eumhun 착할 선 (chakhal seon))

1. hanja form^? of 선 (“good, nice”)

善: Hán Nôm readings: thiện

1. chữ Hán form of thiện (“kind, virtue, good”)