胆识 (dǎn shí) — courage and insight; boldness and discernment | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A compound noun pairing 胆 (guts) and 识 (judgment) — means 'courage plus insight,' the ability to act boldly AND wisely. Not the same as 勇敢 alone, which is just bravery without the wise-judgment half.

noun

courage and insightboldness and discernment

Examples

胆识。
Tā píng jiè guò rén de dǎn shí zài shāng jiè chuǎng chū yí piàn tiān dì.
With his exceptional courage and insight, he made a name for himself in the business world.
胆识。
Zuò zhè ge jué dìng xū yào jí dà de dǎn shí.
Making this decision requires great courage and insight.
胆识。
Zhè wèi lǐng dǎo rén zhǎn xiàn chū le fēi fán de dǎn shí.
This leader has shown extraordinary courage and insight.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

胆dǎncourage

识shíinsight

胆 (courage) and 识 (insight) stand side by side to mean bold discernment.

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

旦dàn胆dǎn

Same sound today

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

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 識; 识 is its simplified writing.

言戠識

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

戠

戠zhí識zhì

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

The traditional form 識 pairs 言 (say) with 戠 as a sound part; the simplified 识 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Appears in

Personality & Traits

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