不敢当 meaning in English
lit. I dare not (accept the honor); fig. I don't deserve your praise; you flatter me
Meaning of 不敢当
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- lit. I dare not (accept the honor); fig. I don't deserve your praise
- you flatter me
How to use 不敢当
不敢当 is a polite, modest reply when someone praises you, thanks you heavily, or gives you a title you feel you have not earned. It sounds a bit formal and is common with elders, teachers or in business settings. Example: 您过奖了，不敢当。(Nín guòjiǎng le, bùgǎndāng.) You flatter me, I really don't deserve it.
Break it into 不 (bù, not), 敢 (gǎn, dare) and 当 (dāng, to take on or accept). Picture someone handed an award, stepping back and saying "I do not dare accept this."
Common mistake: Learners often read 当 here as fourth tone dàng. In 不敢当 it is first tone dāng. Also, 不 keeps its fourth tone because 敢 is third tone, so say bù gǎn dāng, not bú gǎn dāng.
不敢当 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
不 bù · no · 4 strokes
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敢 gǎn · to dare · 11 strokes
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当 dāng · to be · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 不敢当.
| 对不起 | duìbuqǐ | I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down; to disappoint |
| 是不是 | shì bu shì | is or is not (used to form yes-no questions) |
| 不用 | bùyòng | need not |
| 不大 | bù dà | not very (clear, far away etc); not too; not often; infrequently |
| 不对 | bùduì | incorrect; wrong |
| 不客气 | bù kèqì | you're welcome; don't mention it |
| 不要 | bùyào | don't!; must not |
| 不过 | bùguò | only; merely |
| 不错 | bùcuò | correct; right |
| 不行 | bùxíng | won't do; be out of the question |
| 当时 | dāngshí | then; at that time |
| 不同 | bù tóng | different; distinct |
Questions about 不敢当
What does 不敢当 mean?
不敢当 (bùgǎndāng) means "lit. I dare not (accept the honor); fig. I don't deserve your praise; you flatter me" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 不敢当?
不敢当 is made of 3 characters: 不 (4 strokes), 敢 (11 strokes), 当 (6 strokes). That is 21 strokes in total.
Is 不敢当 an HSK word?
Yes. 不敢当 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 不敢当 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 不敢当 is written 不敢當.
What is the difference between 不敢当 and 不客气?
不客气 (bù kèqì) answers a simple thank you and means "you're welcome." 不敢当 answers praise or excessive honor and means "I don't deserve it." Use 不敢当 when you want to sound modest, not just polite.
Can 不敢当 be used literally to mean someone does not dare to take a role?
Yes. It can mean "I dare not take on this responsibility," for example when offered a position you feel unqualified for. In daily speech, though, it is mostly a set phrase for modestly declining praise.