Chinese word

友善

Pronunciation

Pinyinyǒu shàn

Meaning

  • adjectivefriendly

Example

他对我很友善。tā duì wǒ hěn yǒu shàn

He is very friendly to me.

Illustration for 友善 (friendly)

More examples

邻居对我友善，经常帮忙照看孩子。lín jū duì wǒ yǒu shàn jīng cháng bāng máng zhào kàn hái zi

My neighbor is friendly to me and often helps look after the children.

Core concept

An open and welcoming manner that sends others a clear sign of goodwill.

Common phrases

  • 对人友善duì rén yǒu shàn

    friendly to people

  • 对陌生人友善duì mò shēng rén yǒu shàn

    friendly to strangers

  • 对孩子友善duì hái zi yǒu shàn

    friendly to children

Similar words

友好yóu hǎo: Describing a friendly relationship or attitude between people or groups.
亲切qīn qiè: Warm, polite, and considerate, with care and helpful attention shown to others.
和蔼hé ǎi: Gentle in speech and expression, with an easy-to-approach manner.
和善hé shàn: Gentle and kind in character or attitude.

Definition in Chinese

通过言语、表情或行为向他人表达善意和亲切的状态tōng guò yán yǔ biǎo qíng huò xíng wéi xiàng tā rén biǎo dá shàn yì hé qīn qiè de zhuàng tài

Word origin

友善 (yǒushàn, "friendly") combines 友 (yǒu, "friend") + 善 (shàn, "good"), joining the idea of friendship with goodness to describe a kind attitude toward others.

Usage tips

  • It applies to people and animals, which makes it useful for describing a welcoming dog as well as a pleasant person.

Other meanings

  • kindadjective
  • well-intentionedadjective

Opposites

Related words

  • 友善地yǒu shàn dìin a friendly manneradverb

Word lists with this word