From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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 , 𠾺 , 墡 , 嫸 , 𢢆 , 𢵈 , 㵛 , 𮥣 , 𨗚 , 𪱋 , 橏 , 𣩧 , 㷽 , 𤩕 , 𥛶 , 膳 , 𦏎 , 𥊳 , 磰 , 𮃬 , 𮖯 , 𫅜 , 繕 (缮 ), 𦗢 , 蟮 , 𭀺 , 𧬆 , 𮜖 , 𨣁 , 𬹎 , 𫅞 , 鐥 (䦅 ), 𡅐 , 饍 , 𩦐 , 𫅡 , 鱔 (鳝 ), 𪍶 , 𭨔
𡆃 , 𠟤 , 鄯 , 𭟽 , 㪨 , 敾 , 歚 , 𬙽 , 𭌠 , 𬙿 , 𡄰 , 𩕊 (𬱱 ), 𬚁 , 𬞗 , 𤺪
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
Old Chinese
橏
*tjenʔ
嫸
*tjenʔ
善
*ɡjenʔ
譱
*ɡjenʔ
蟮
*djanʔ
鱔
*djanʔ
僐
*djenʔ, *djens
鄯
*djenʔ, *djens
墡
*djenʔ
磰
*djenʔ
繕
*ɡjens
膳
*djens
饍
*djens
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". 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”).
Baxter –Sagart system 1.1 (2014 )
Character
善
Reading #
1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)
shàn
Middle Chinese
‹ dzyenX ›
Old Chinese
/*[ɡ]e[n]ʔ/
English
good
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:
* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;
* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character
善
Reading #
1/1
No.
11084
Phonetic component
善
Rime group
元
Rime subdivision
2
Corresponding MC rime
善
Old Chinese
/*ɡjenʔ/
善
good ; virtuous ; charitable ; kind
Antonym: 惡 / 恶
善 事 ― shàn shì ― good deed; charitable deed
人 之 初 ,性 本 善 。 [Classical Chinese , trad. and simp. ] From: Three Character Classic , circa 13th 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: “Shàn rén 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!"
good ; fine ; desirable
善 策 ― shàn cè ― good solution
( literary ) to regard as good
good deed
行善 ― xíngshàn ― to do good deeds
to be good at
善 交際 / 善 交际 ― shàn jiāojì ― to be a mixer
能歌善 舞 ― nénggēshàn wǔ ― to be good at singing and dancing
easily
善 變/ 善 变 ― shàn biàn ― to be changeable; to be prone or apt to change
善 忘 ― shàn wàng ― forgetful
appropriately ; all out ; earnestly
善 用 ― shàn yòng ― to use properly
善 自 珍重 ― shàn zì zhēnzhòng ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)
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)
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 5th – 3rd 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)
( literary ) to like
( literary ) Used to express agreement or commendation . ; Good !
( Taishanese , euphemistic ) to die
去善 [Taishanese ] ― hui1 sen5 [Wiktionary] ― go to hell
Dialectal synonyms of
好 (“good”)
[map]
Variety
Location
Words
Classical Chinese
好 , 良 , 善 , 佳
Formal (Written Standard Chinese )
好 , 良好 , 美好 , 佳
Northeastern Mandarin
Beijing
好 , 強
Taiwan
好
Singapore
好
Jilu Mandarin
Jinan
好 , 賽 , 強
Central Plains Mandarin
Xi'an
好 , 嫽
Southwestern Mandarin
Chengdu
好
Wuhan
好 , 傲
Jianghuai Mandarin
Yangzhou
好
Hefei
好 , 㜺
Cantonese
Guangzhou
好 , 㜺
Hong Kong
好
Taishan
好
Yangjiang
好
Singapore (Guangfu)
好
Gan
Nanchang
好
Hakka
Meixian
好 , 㜺
Miaoli (N. Sixian)
好
Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)
好
Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)
好
Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)
好
Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)
好
Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)
好
Jin
Taiyuan
好
Northern Min
Jian'ou
好
Eastern Min
Fuzhou
好
Southern Min
Xiamen
好
Tainan
好
Penang (Hokkien)
好
Singapore (Hokkien)
好
Manila (Hokkien)
好
Chaozhou
好
Singapore (Teochew)
好
Singapore (Hainanese)
好
Zhongshan Min
Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi)
好
Wu
Shanghai
好 , 㜺 , 靈 , 嗲
Shanghai (Songjiang)
畢㜺
Shanghai (Chuansha, Pudong)
出客
Shanghai (Nanhui, Pudong)
出客
Shanghai (Fengxian)
靈
Shanghai (Jinshan)
靈
Suzhou
好 , 㜺
Wenzhou
好
Xiang
Changsha
好
Shuangfeng
好
善
(Sixth grade kyōiku kanji )
virtue
goodness
From Middle Chinese 善 (MC dzyenX ).
善( ぜん ) • (zen )
good , good deed
Antonym: 悪 ( aku )
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”)
Wikisource
善 (eumhun 착할 선 ( chakhal seon ) )
hanja form? of 선 ( “ good , nice ” )
善 : Hán Nôm readings: thiện
chữ Hán form of thiện ( “ kind , virtue , good ” ) .