p8nda
p8nda BETA
Home Dictionary Discord

擅

shàn
verb #8,417

Meanings

  1. 1 to be good at; to be skilled in
  2. 2 to do without authorization; to take it upon oneself

Examples

她擅长画画。
Tā shàncháng huàhuà.
She is good at painting.
不能擅自做决定。
Bù néng shànzì zuò juédìng.
You can't make decisions without authorization.
他擅长和人打交道。
Tā shàncháng hé rén dǎ jiāodào.
He's good at dealing with people.

Tips

usage
擅 almost always appears in compounds: 擅长 (shàncháng, be good at), 擅自 (shànzì, without authorization). On its own it's literary. 擅长 is slightly more formal than 会 or 很会.
mistakes
Don't confuse 擅长 (good at) with 善良 (shànliáng, kind-hearted). Different first character, different meaning entirely.

Stroke Order

擅 shàn