胆子 (dǎn zi) — courage, nerve | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

胆子 is a colloquial, measurable 'nerve/courage' — used in fixed phrases like 胆子大 (brave) and 胆子小 (timid), not as a formal virtue like 勇气.

noun

couragenerve

胆子，。
Tā dǎn zi hěn dà, yí gè rén gǎn zǒu yè lù.
She is very brave and dares to walk alone at night.
胆子，。
Nǐ dǎn zi zhēn bù xiǎo, gǎn hé tā zhēng lùn.
You're really brave, daring to argue with him.
胆子，。
Tā dǎn zi bǐ jiào xiǎo, cóng bù gǎn mào xiǎn.
He is rather timid and never dares to take risks.

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.

胆dǎngallbladder

The word builds on 胆, the gallbladder, with 子 added to form a common word, so it means courage or nerve.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

⺼Written in full as肉ròubody part

Sound part声符shēngfú

旦

Same sound today

胆 combines ⺼, written as 肉 when full, for a body part, with 旦 as a sound part.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Appears in