Meaning of 勇敢
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- brave; courageous
How to use 勇敢
勇敢 describes people or actions that show courage, and it often appears before a noun with 的 or as a predicate after 很. It is also common as advice or encouragement. Example: 她很勇敢，一个人去国外留学。(Tā hěn yǒnggǎn, yí gè rén qù guówài liúxué.) She is very brave and went abroad to study on her own.
勇 (yǒng) has 力 (lì, strength) at the bottom, and 敢 (gǎn) means to dare. Put strength together with daring and you get someone brave.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 勇敢 (brave, an adjective) with 勇气 (yǒngqì, courage, a noun), saying 我没有勇敢 instead of 我没有勇气. Also remember both syllables are third tone, so 勇 is said closer to second tone: yóng gǎn.
勇敢 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.
勇 yǒng · brave · 9 strokes
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敢 gǎn · to dare · 11 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 勇敢.
| 勇气 | yǒngqì | courage |
| 英勇 | yīngyǒng | heroic; gallant |
| 不敢当 | bùgǎndāng | lit. I dare not (accept the honor); fig. I don't deserve your praise; you flatter me |
| 敢于 | gǎnyú | to have the courage to do sth; to dare to |
| 竟敢 | jìnggǎn | to have the impertinence; to have the cheek to |
| 勇往直前 | yǒngwǎng-zhíqián | to advance bravely |
| 勇于 | yǒngyú | to dare to; to be brave enough to |
| 敢情 | gǎnqing | actually; as it turns out |
| 奋勇 | fènyǒng | dauntless; to summon up courage and determination |
| 见义勇为 | jiànyì-yǒngwéi | (idiom, from the Analects) (usu. of a passer-by who comes across a critical situation) to |
| 勇士 | yǒngshì | a warrior; a brave person |
| 胆敢 | dǎngǎn | to dare (negative connotation); to have the audacity to (do sth) |
Questions about 勇敢
What does 勇敢 mean?
勇敢 (yǒnggǎn) means "brave; courageous" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 勇敢?
勇敢 is made of 2 characters: 勇 (9 strokes), 敢 (11 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.
Is 勇敢 an HSK word?
Yes. 勇敢 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 勇敢 and 敢?
敢 (gǎn) is a verb meaning to dare and is followed by another verb, as in 我不敢说 (I don't dare to say it). 勇敢 is an adjective describing a brave person or act, as in 他很勇敢.
Can 勇敢 be used as a verb or adverb?
It can work like an adverb before a verb, often with 地, as in 勇敢地面对困难 (yǒnggǎn de miànduì kùnnan), to bravely face difficulties. It is also used in commands like 勇敢一点 (be a bit braver).