擅长

• Pinyin: shàn cháng
• Hanzi breakdown: 擅 = 扌(hand radical) + 亶 (phonetic shàn, meaning ample/in charge) = to monopolise/to be master of; 长 = elder/to excel in = 擅长: to hold mastery over a particular skill

Meaning

To be skilled at or to excel in a particular area; to have a special proficiency or natural talent for a specific activity or field.

Describes a high level of competence or excellence, not just basic ability. 擅长绘画 (excel at painting), 擅长交际 (have a gift for socialising), 擅长某一领域 (have expertise in a field). More formal and emphatic than 会 (can) or 能 (able to). Commonly used on résumés, in academic profiles, and formal introductions.

Examples

1. 这位语言学家擅长多种语言的音系分析，其研究成果在国际声韵学界享有广泛声誉，多次受邀在顶级学术会议上作主旨演讲。 This linguist excels at phonological analysis across multiple languages; her research is widely respected in the international field of phonetics and phonology, and she has been invited many times to give keynote talks at top academic conferences.
2. 作为一名擅长跨媒介叙事的导演，她总能将文学原著的内在张力转化为视觉与声音交织的震撼力量，赋予经典故事以全新的当代生命。 As a director skilled in cross-media storytelling, she consistently transforms the inner tension of literary originals into a powerful blend of images and sound, giving classic stories a new contemporary life.
3. 投资团队认为，这家公司最显著的竞争优势在于其创始人擅长整合跨行业资源，能在看似不相关的领域之间发现隐藏的商业协同机会。 The investment team believes the company’s most notable competitive advantage is that its founder is skilled at integrating cross-industry resources and can spot hidden business synergies between fields that seem unrelated.

Usage Guide

Context: career, education, talent, professional introduction

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这位建筑师擅长融合传统建筑语汇与现代结构技术，作品兼顾历史文脉和当代功能。(This architect excels at combining traditional architectural forms with modern structural techniques, producing works that balance historical context and contemporary function.)
• 求职者在自我介绍时应当用具体案例支撑擅长某领域的声明，避免空泛表述，因为面试官更看重有数据和成果支撑的真实能力展示。(Job applicants should support claims of expertise with concrete examples in their self-introductions and avoid vague assertions, because interviewers place greater value on genuine demonstrations of ability backed by data and results.)

Don't Say

• 他擅长得很好 — 擅长 already implies excellence; adding 得很好 as a degree complement is redundant and ungrammatical; say 他非常擅长这项技能 or 他在这一领域极有天分

Origin & History

擅 = 扌(hand radical) + 亶 (phonetic shàn, meaning ample/sincere) = to be the master of/to hold firm control over; 长 = pictograph of a long-haired elder = long/senior/to excel — 擅长 = to hold mastery over a skill

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal