Definition
胆 literally refers to the gallbladder (胆囊), but it is far more commonly used in its metaphorical sense: courage, nerve, or audacity. Chinese merges both meanings into one word, while English requires separate terms. You will encounter 胆 in many compound words and adjectives, such as 胆量 (courage), 胆大 (bold), 胆小 (timid), 胆怯 (cowardly), and 胆子 (nerve, a colloquial noun). The metaphorical sense is the primary one you will need for everyday conversation.
n.
gallbladder (organ)couragenerveaudacity (as a character trait)
Examples
- ，。Tā hěn yǒu dǎnliàng, yí gè rén qù huāngdǎo shēngcún le yí gè yuè.He has a lot of courage and survived alone on a desert island for a month.
- 。Yīshēng shuō tā dǎnnáng lǐ yǒu yì kē xiǎo shítou.The doctor said there is a small stone in his gallbladder.
- ，。Nǐ de dǎnzi yě tài dà le, jūrán gǎn gēn jīnglǐ pāi zhuōzi.You've got some nerve — you actually dared to bang the table at your manager.
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