坦然 (tǎn rán) — calm, composed, unperturbed | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

坦然 focuses on an inner attitude of openness and acceptance (坦然接受, 坦然面对) rather than the cool-headed composure of 冷静 or the steadiness of 沉着.

adjective

calmcomposedunperturbed

Examples

，坦然。
Miàn duì pī píng, tā tǎn rán jiē shòu.
He calmly accepted the criticism.
坦然。
Tā tǎn rán dì chéng rèn le zì jǐ de bù zú.
She frankly admitted her shortcomings.
，坦然。
Wú lùn jié guǒ rú hé, tā dōu néng tǎn rán miàn duì.
No matter the outcome, he can face it calmly.

Origin

Derived word

构词法gòucífǎ

后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

坦tǎnopen/calm

坦 gives the sense of being open and calm, and 然 shows the state of mind.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

土旦坦

Meaning part形符xíngfú

土土tǔearth

Sound part声符shēngfú

旦

旦dàn坦tǎn

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

坦 is made from 土 (earth) plus 旦, which provides the sound. The earth part shows the sense is about ground.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

火火huǒfire

Sound part声符shēngfú

肰

肰rán然rán

Same sound today

然 is made from 肰, which gives the sound, and 火, which shows fire, matching the old sense 'to burn'.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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