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勇敢 (yǒng gǎn) — brave, courageous

Definition

Everyday word for 'brave, courageous' — neutral in tone, used for people facing difficulty. 大胆 is more about being daring or audacious, 英勇 is more formal and heroic.

adjective
bravecourageous

Examples

  • ，勇敢。
    Miàn duì kùn nan shí, tā hěn yǒng gǎn.
    He is very brave when facing difficulties.
  • 勇敢。
    Tā yǒng gǎn dì chéng rèn le zì jǐ de cuò wù.
    She bravely admitted her mistake.
  • 勇敢。
    Zhè ge yǒng gǎn de nán hái bǎo hù le mèi mei.
    This brave boy protected his younger sister.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

勇yǒngbrave
敢gǎndare

勇 and 敢 both convey boldness and daring, forming the sense of courage.

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
力力lìstrong
Sound part声符shēngfú
甬
甬yǒng勇yǒng
Same sound today

勇 pairs 甬, which gives the sound, with 力, a strength part, to mean brave and strong.

Open 勇 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The old form showed a hand using a tool to hunt a wild boar. Later the tool was dropped and another mark was added, and the shape changed into 敢.

Open 敢 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 4Personality & Traits2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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