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敢于 (gǎn yú) — to dare to, to have the courage to

Definition

Used in written/formal Chinese, meaning 'to dare to' do something difficult or risky. Stronger than 敢; more formal than 勇于, which emphasizes bravery in the face of challenges.

verb
to dare toto have the courage to

Examples

  • 敢于。
    Tā gǎn yú miàn duì rèn hé kùn nan.
    He dares to face any difficulty.
  • 敢于。
    Wǒ men yīng gāi gǎn yú cháng shì xīn shì wù.
    We should dare to try new things.
  • 敢于，。
    Zhǐ yǒu gǎn yú chuàng xīn, cái néng jìn bù.
    Only by daring to innovate can we make progress.

Origin

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.

敢gǎndare
于yúto

Dare 敢 plus 于 builds the sense of having courage to act.

Characters in this word

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 →

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

  • 一一yīflat stream of air
  • 丂丂kǎoto exhale

The old shape of 于 may have pictured an ancient wind instrument. Another explanation reads 一 as a flat stream of air and 丂 as an exhaling mark.

Open 于 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5Personality & Traits

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