良

• Material and Innate Quality: Superior, fine, or high-grade. Denotes an object (such as jade or horses) that is well-formed or perfectly fulfills its intended function.
• Moral Character: Upright, sound, or virtuous. The emphasis is on the fundamental integrity or essence of a person rather than their specific actions.
• Social and Legal Status: Respectable or law-abiding. Used in administrative or legal contexts to distinguish proper members of society from criminals, slaves, or those of low social standing (e.g., 良民).

• Adjective: Primary function.
• Noun: Can function as a substantive referring to "the virtuous" or "the superior sort."
• Modifier: Frequently appears in compounds to denote a specific class of high-quality people or things (e.g., 良才).

• 良 vs. 好 (hǎo): While //hǎo// is broad and often subjective (pleasant, liked), //liáng// is an objective evaluation of quality or standard.
• 良 vs. 善 (shàn): //Shàn// typically refers to active kindness, benevolence, or the moral choice to do good; //liáng// refers to a state of being—an innate soundness or uprightness of character.

In early texts, the boundary between "materially superior" and "morally virtuous" is fluid, as both stem from the concept of being "well-formed." When a passage is ambiguous, consider whether the author is praising the subject's nature (良) or their conduct (善).