坦 (tǎn) — (bound form) flat, level; (bound form) open, frank, candid
Definition
坦 is a bound form meaning 'flat/level' (坦途) or 'open, frank' (坦白, 坦然). It almost never stands alone — pair it with another character to form common words like 坦白, 坦然, or 平坦.
bound form
flatlevelopenfrankcandid
Examples
- 。Zhè tiáo lù hěn píng tǎn.This road is very flat.
- 。Tā shuō huà hěn tǎn bái.He speaks very frankly.
- ，。Miàn duì kùn nan, tā yì liǎn tǎn rán.Facing the difficulty, he looked completely calm.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
坦 is made from 土 (earth) plus 旦, which provides the sound. The earth part shows the sense is about ground.
Appears in
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