Meaning of 胆
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- gall bladder
- courage
- guts
- gall
- inner container (e.g. bladder of a football, inner container of a thermos)
How to use 胆
In everyday speech 胆 usually means courage, especially in words like 胆子 (dǎnzi), 大胆 (dàdǎn) and 胆小 (dǎnxiǎo). As a medical term it means the gall bladder, and it can also mean an inner liner, as in a thermos. Example: 他胆子很小，不敢一个人走夜路。(Tā dǎnzi hěn xiǎo, bù gǎn yí ge rén zǒu yèlù.) He is timid and doesn't dare walk alone at night.
胆 has the flesh radical 月 on the left, used for body parts, and 旦 (dàn, dawn) on the right, which also hints at the sound. Picture the organ that gives you the nerve to get up and face each new dawn.
Common mistake: Learners often say it with a fourth tone because of 旦 (dàn) or 但 (dàn), but 胆 is third tone, dǎn. Also, 月 here is the flesh radical, not the moon, so do not confuse 胆 with 但 (but), which has the person radical 亻.
胆 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.
胆 dǎn · gall bladder · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 胆.
| 大胆 | dàdǎn | brazen; audacious |
| 胆小 | dǎnxiǎo | cowardice; timid |
| 胆子 | dǎnzi | courage; nerve |
| 胆怯 | dǎnqiè | timidity; timid |
| 提心吊胆 | tíxīn-diàodǎn | (idiom) nervous; fearful; on edge |
| 壮胆 | zhuàngdǎn | to get one’s courage up; to embolden |
| 胆小鬼 | dǎnxiǎoguǐ | coward |
| 胆量 | dǎnliàng | courage; boldness |
| 胆敢 | dǎngǎn | to dare (negative connotation); to have the audacity to (do sth) |
| 胆固醇 | dǎngùchún | cholesterol |
| 海胆 | hǎidǎn | (zoology) sea urchin |
| 胆识 | dǎnshí | courage and insight |
Questions about 胆
What does 胆 mean?
胆 (dǎn) means "gall bladder; courage" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 胆?
胆 is made of 1 character: 胆 (9 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 胆 an HSK word?
Yes. 胆 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 胆 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 胆 is written 膽.
How do you say someone is brave or cowardly using 胆?
Say 胆子大 (dǎnzi dà) for brave and 胆子小 (dǎnzi xiǎo) or 胆小 (dǎnxiǎo) for timid. 大胆 (dàdǎn) can mean bold in a good way, but it can also mean audacious or reckless.
What does 提心吊胆 mean and when is it used?
提心吊胆 (tíxīn-diàodǎn) literally describes the heart lifted and the gall bladder hanging, meaning to be on edge with worry. It is used for ongoing anxiety, for example waiting for exam results or walking somewhere dangerous.