Chinese word

善良

Pronunciation

Pinyinshàn liáng

Meaning

  • adjectivekind

Example

他对孩子很善良。tā duì hái zi hěn shàn liáng

He is very kind to children.

Illustration for 善良 (kind)

More examples

他虽然有时候很严厉，但本性善良。tā suī rán yǒu shí hòu hěn yán lì dàn běn xìng shàn liáng

Although he is sometimes strict, he is kind-hearted by nature.

Core concept

A warm moral nature that treats people gently and notices when they need care.

Common phrases

  • 为人善良wéi rén shàn liáng

    be kind as a person

  • 本性善良běn xìng shàn liáng

    kind-hearted by nature

  • 善良的行为shàn liáng de xíng wéi

    kind behavior

Similar words

亲切qīn qiè: Creating a warm, friendly feeling through words or manner and making others feel at ease.
友善yǒu shàn: Showing a friendly attitude toward people without coldness or hostility.
热心rè xīn: Showing active interest and willingly offering help.
好心hǎo xīn: Having good intentions and wanting to help others.

Definition in Chinese

品性善良，待人亲切，常关心并帮助他人。pǐn xìng shàn liáng dài rén qīn qiè cháng guān xīn bìng bāng zhù tā rén

Word origin

善 (shàn, "good") + 良 (liáng, "good") combines two words for goodness to describe a kind and caring character.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, this adjective describes a person's character, so it fits a general judgment about someone better than a description of one isolated favor.

Other meanings

  • good-naturedadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word