旦 (dàn) — dawn, daybreak (literary); female role in Chinese opera (旦角)
Definition
Literary/classical word for 'dawn'. In modern Chinese it survives mainly in set phrases like 元旦 (New Year's Day). The other sense — 旦角 — is the female role type in Chinese opera.
noun
dawndaybreak (literary)female role in Chinese opera (旦角)
Examples
- 旦，。Tiān gāng dàn, tā jiù qǐ chuáng le.It was just dawn when he got up.
- 。Wǒ men měi nián yuán dàn dōu yì qǐ qìng zhù.We celebrate together every New Year's Day.
- 旦。Tā shì jīng jù lǐ de dàn jué.She is a female role in Peking opera.
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.
旦 combines 日 (sun/day) with 丁 as a sound part; the story about the sun rising over a line is not the original explanation.
Appears in
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