与人为善

與人為善
yǔrénwéishàn
idiom #34,155

Meanings

  1. 1 to deal with people benevolently; to help others do good
  2. 2 to be kind and well-intentioned in one's dealings with others

Examples

Tā yīxiàng yǔrénwéishàn, suǒyǐ rényuán hěn hǎo.
He's always been kind to others, which is why he gets along so well with people.
Zuòshì yào yǔrénwéishàn, bùyào jīnjīnjìjiào.
Be kind to others in what you do, don't haggle over every little thing.

Tips

history
From《孟子·》: 以为与人为善君子莫大与人为善 — 'to take from others to do good is to do good with them; nothing in a gentleman is greater than this.' The original meaning is 'to join with others in doing good.'
usage
Modern sense ('be benevolent toward others') is broader than Mencius's original ('do good together with others'). Both senses survive; modern usage dominates everyday speech.

Stroke Order

rén
wèi
shàn