Meaning of 善良
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- good and honest
- kindhearted
How to use 善良
善良 describes a person's character, their heart or nature, and is often used with 很 or as a modifier with 的. It is warmer and more personal than 好. Example: 她是一个很善良的人。(Tā shì yí gè hěn shànliáng de rén.) She is a very kindhearted person.
善良 joins two characters that both mean good: 善 (shàn) as in virtuous or skilled, and 良 (liáng) as in fine or decent. Two kinds of goodness stacked together give you a person who is good all the way through, kindhearted.
Common mistake: Learners often use 善良 for things like weather, food, or results, but it only describes people, hearts, or intentions. For quality of things use 良好 (liánghǎo) or 优良 (yōuliáng) instead. Also keep 善 in fourth tone (shàn), not shān.
善良 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
善 shàn · good · 12 strokes
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良 liáng · good · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 善良.
| 完善 | wánshàn | (of systems, facilities etc) comprehensive; well-developed |
| 良好 | liánghǎo | good; favorable |
| 改善 | gǎishàn | to make better; to improve |
| 善于 | shànyú | to be good at; to be adept at |
| 优良 | yōuliáng | fine; good |
| 不良 | bùliáng | bad; harmful; unhealthy; (of a device, connection, material etc) defective; faulty |
| 良心 | liángxīn | conscience |
| 友善 | yǒushàn | friendly |
| 慈善 | císhàn | benevolent; charitable |
| 善意 | shànyì | goodwill; benevolence |
| 改良 | gǎiliáng | to improve (sth); to refine; to reform (a system) |
| 妥善 | tuǒshàn | appropriate; proper |
Questions about 善良
What does 善良 mean?
善良 (shànliáng) means "good and honest; kindhearted" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 善良?
善良 is made of 2 characters: 善 (12 strokes), 良 (7 strokes). That is 19 strokes in total.
Is 善良 an HSK word?
Yes. 善良 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 善良 and 好心?
善良 describes someone's basic nature as kind and honest. 好心 (hǎoxīn) usually refers to good intentions in a specific situation, as in 好心帮忙 (meant well by helping).
Can 善良 be used as a noun?
Yes, it can act like a noun meaning kindness, for example 她的善良感动了大家 (Her kindness moved everyone). Here it works like an English abstract noun without changing form.