惮 (dàn) — (literary, formal) to fear, to dread
Definition
Literary verb meaning 'to fear / to dread', almost always used in fixed phrases like 忌惮, 无所顾忌/忌惮, 毫不忌惮. It is a high-register, written choice — never used in everyday spoken Chinese.
verb
(literary, formal) to fearto dread
Examples
- 。Tā háo bú jì dàn rèn hé kùn nan.He does not fear any difficulty at all.
- ，。Miàn duì wēi xiǎn, tā háo wú jì dàn.Facing danger, he shows no fear at all.
- ，。Zài gǎi gé guò chéng zhōng, wǒ men wú suǒ jì dàn.In the process of reform, we fear nothing.
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.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 憚; 惮 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
單
單dān憚⁰dàn
Same sound today
The traditional form 憚 puts 心 (heart) beside 單 (dān), which gives the sound; the simplified 惮 is a later shorthand.
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