淡 (dàn) — bland, weak, insipid (of taste or concentration); light (of color); indifferent, cold (of manner or emotion)
Definition
Adjective covering two distinct senses: weak/light (taste, color) — for taste, 清淡 describes food as lightly seasoned, while 淡 often means weak or watered-down. For emotion, 冷淡 specifically describes a cold, indifferent manner toward someone.
adjective
blandweakinsipid (of taste or concentration)light (of color)indifferentcold (of manner or emotion)
Examples
- 淡，。Zhè bēi kā fēi tài dàn le, méi shén me wèi dào.This cup of coffee is too weak, there's not much flavor.
- 淡。Tā xǐ huan chuān dàn sè de yī fu.She likes to wear light-colored clothes.
- 。Tā duì zhè jiàn shì de tài dù hěn lěng dàn.His attitude toward this matter is very indifferent.
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.
淡 puts 氵 (water) beside 炎, which gives the sound yán.
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