---
title: "Shanyu Meaning: 善于 (shànyú) Means “to be good at”"
description: "善于 (traditional 善於, shànyú) means “to be good at; to be skilled in”. Hear its tones, see what 善 and 于 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/shanyu"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 善于 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

善于 shànyú

## to be good at; to be skilled in

## Its characters

1. 善 shàn to be good at (as in 善于)
2. 于 yú at

## In a sentence

他很善于和别人沟通。 He is very good at communicating with others.

水镜先生道：“关羽、张飞、赵云都是万夫莫敌的猛将，可惜没有**善于**用他们的人。

From [马跃檀溪 · The Leap Across the Tan Stream](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/the-leap-across-the-tan-stream-three-kingdoms-advanced-chinese-7#library-word-617-619)

[More about 善于](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%96%84%E4%BA%8E)

## More words with 善 or 于

- [便于 biànyú](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/bianyu)
- [不至于 bùzhìyú](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/buzhiyu)
- [处于 chǔyú](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/chuyu)
- [慈善 císhàn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/cishan)
- [大于 dàyú](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dayu)
- [等于 děngyú](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dengyu)
- [低于 dīyú](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/diyu)
- [对于 duìyú](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/duiyu)
- [改善 gǎishàn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/gaishan)
- [高于 gāoyú](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/gaoyu)

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