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, 𠟤, 㵛, 墡, 嫸, 鄯, 𠾺, 𢢆, 𢵈, 𨗚, 𬞗, 𮥣, 㪨, 㷽, 敾, 橏, 歚, 膳, 𣩧, 𤩕, 𥛶, 𪱋, 𭟽, 磰, 𤺪, 𥊳, 𫅜, 𬙽, 𮃬, 𮖯, 繕 (缮), 蟮, 𦏎, 𦗢, 𫅞, 𬱱, 𭀺, 𧬆, 𨣁, 𬙿, 𬹎, 𭌠, 𮜖, 鐥 (䦅), 𡄰, 饍, 𡅐, 𩕊, 𩦐, 𫅡, 𬚁, 鱔 (鳝), 𪍶, 𡆃, 𭨔

• KangXi: 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

Historical forms of the character 善
Western Zhou	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

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) : 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 (è)

   人之初，性本善。 [Literary 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.

2. (Taishanese, euphemistic) to die

   去善 [Taishanese]  ―  hui¹ sen^5-4 [Wiktionary]  ―  go to hell

• “善”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

(grade 6 “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 d͡ʑiᴇn^X).

• (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‎, 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.

• 善(ぜん)に従(したが)うこと流(なが)るるが如(ごと)し (zen ni shitagau koto nagaruru ga gotoshi)
• 善(ぜん)に強(つよ)い者(もの)は悪(あく)にも強(つよ)い (zen ni tsuyoi mono wa aku ni mo tsuyoi)
• 善(ぜん)の裏(うら)は悪(あく) (zen no ura wa aku)
• 善(ぜん)の綱(つな) (zen no tsuna)
• 善(ぜん)は急(いそ)げ (zen wa isoge)
• 善(ぜん)を責(せ)むるは朋友(ほうゆう)の道(みち)なり (zen o semuru wa hōyū no michi nari)

(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”).