膽 meaning and stroke order
Gallbladder; gall, guts, courage
How to write 膽, stroke by stroke
17 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 膽
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- gall bladder
- courage
- guts
- gall
- inner container (e.g. bladder of a football, inner container of a thermos)
How 膽 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Flesh.
⺼ gives the meaning and 詹 hints at the sound.
Radical: ⺼ (meat), shared by 176 characters on this site.
How to remember 膽
膽 is a pictophonetic character. The flesh radical ⺼ on the left marks it as a body organ, and 詹 (zhān) on the right hints at the sound, so picture the gallbladder as the organ that holds your courage.
In Chinese, the gallbladder is linked to bravery, so 膽 (dǎn) appears in many words about courage or fear, such as 膽子 (dǎnzi) and 膽小 (dǎnxiǎo). It can also mean an inner container, like the liner of a thermos. Example: 他膽子很大。(Tā dǎnzi hěn dà.) He is very bold.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 膽 with 擔 (dān, to carry), which shares the same right side but uses the hand radical 扌 and a different tone. Remember that the body organ uses the flesh radical ⺼ and the third tone dǎn.
Common words with 膽
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 大膽 | dàdǎn | brazen; audacious | HSK 5 |
| 膽小 | dǎnxiǎo | cowardice; timid | HSK 5 |
| 膽子 | dǎnzi | courage; nerve | HSK 7-9 |
| 膽怯 | dǎnqiè | timidity; timid | HSK 7-9 |
| 提心吊膽 | tíxīn-diàodǎn | (idiom) nervous; fearful; on edge | HSK 7-9 |
| 壯膽 | zhuàngdǎn | to get one’s courage up; to embolden | HSK 7-9 |
| 膽小鬼 | dǎnxiǎoguǐ | coward | |
| 膽量 | dǎnliàng | courage; boldness | |
| 膽敢 | dǎngǎn | to dare (negative connotation); to have the audacity to (do sth) | |
| 膽固醇 | dǎngùchún | cholesterol | |
| 海膽 | hǎidǎn | (zoology) sea urchin | |
| 膽識 | dǎnshí | courage and insight | |
| 斗膽 | dǒudǎn | (courteous) to be so bold as to |
Questions about 膽
How many strokes are in 膽?
膽 is written with 17 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 膽 mean?
膽 (dǎn) means gallbladder; gall, guts, courage. A common word with it is 大胆 (dàdǎn), meaning "brazen; audacious".
How do you pronounce 膽?
膽 is pronounced dǎn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 膽?
The radical of 膽 is ⺼, which carries the idea of "meat". Dictionaries list 膽 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 膽?
膽 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 胆, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why is the gallbladder connected to courage in Chinese?
In traditional Chinese thinking, the gallbladder was seen as the seat of courage and decisiveness. That is why 大膽 (dàdǎn) means bold and 膽小鬼 (dǎnxiǎoguǐ) means coward.
Is 大膽 a compliment or an insult?
It depends on context. 大膽 (dàdǎn) can praise someone for being bold, as in 大膽嘗試 (dàdǎn chángshì, try boldly), but it can also mean brazen or reckless when scolding someone.