Meaning of 蛋
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- egg
- oval-shaped thing
Measure word: 個|个,打
- variant of 蜑[Dan4]
How to use 蛋
蛋 means egg and also appears in words for oval or egg-like things. On its own it is often paired with the animal, as in 鸡蛋 (jīdàn) chicken egg. Example: 我早上吃了两个鸡蛋。(Wǒ zǎoshang chīle liǎng gè jīdàn.) I ate two eggs this morning.
蛋 (dàn) has 虫 (chóng, insect or small creature) at the bottom, which hints at animals that hatch from eggs. Picture a little creature curled up under a shell, waiting to come out.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 旦 (dàn, dawn) instead of 蛋 because they sound the same. Remember that the egg character keeps 虫 at the bottom. Also be careful with 笨蛋 (bèndàn) and especially 混蛋 (húndàn). The first is a mild or playful insult. The second is rude.
蛋 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.
蛋 dàn · egg · 11 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 蛋.
| 鸡蛋 | jīdàn | (chicken) egg; hen's egg |
| 蛋糕 | dàngāo | cake |
| 笨蛋 | bèndàn | (mild insult) fool; idiot; (playful) silly person |
| 完蛋 | wándàn | (coll.) to be done for |
| 蛋白质 | dànbáizhì | protein |
| 混蛋 | húndàn | scoundrel; bastard |
| 王八蛋 | wángbādàn | bastard; son of a bitch |
| 坏蛋 | huàidàn | bad egg; scoundrel |
| 滚蛋 | gǔndàn | (slang) get out of here!; beat it! |
| 蠢蛋 | chǔndàn | fool; dolt |
| 蛋蛋 | dàndàn | (coll.) balls (testicles) |
| 操蛋 | càodàn | lousy; rotten |
Questions about 蛋
What does 蛋 mean?
蛋 (dàn) means "egg; oval-shaped thing" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 蛋?
蛋 is made of 1 character: 蛋 (11 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 蛋 an HSK word?
Yes. 蛋 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why are so many Chinese insults built with 蛋?
Words like 笨蛋 (bèndàn, fool) and 混蛋 (húndàn, scoundrel) use 蛋 to label a person as a certain kind of thing. 笨蛋 can be teasing between friends. 混蛋 is a real insult, so avoid it in polite talk.
What does 完蛋 mean and when do people say it?
完蛋 (wándàn) is colloquial for being done for or ruined. People say 完蛋了 (wándàn le) when something has gone badly wrong, like forgetting an exam. It is casual, similar to saying I'm doomed.