p8nda
p8nda BETA
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担

擔
dàn / dān
measure word HSK 7-9 #9,676

Meanings

  1. 1 a load carried on a shoulder pole
  2. 2 picul (a unit of weight, 100 catties, about 50 kg)
  3. 3 classifier for loads carried on a shoulder pole

Examples

他肩上挑着沉重的担子。
Tā jiānshàng tiāo zhe chénzhòng de dànzi.
He carried a heavy burden on his shoulders.
他从山上挑回两担柴。
Tā cóng shānshàng tiāo huí liǎng dàn chái.
He brought back two loads of firewood from the mountain.
担担面是有名的四川菜。
Dàndànmiàn shì yǒumíng de Sìchuān cài.
Dandan noodles are a famous Sichuan dish.

Tips

usage
The fourth-tone dàn is the noun and classifier: a shoulder-pole load, the unit 担 (a picul, about 50 kg), and the figurative 重担 (heavy responsibility). 担担面 is named for the carrying pole street vendors once used. For the verb 'to carry / undertake' use the dān reading.

Components

radical
扌 shǒu
hand (left-side form)
扌 is left-side 手 and marks 担 as a lifting action, bearing a load on a shoulder pole is hands-and-arms work. The same radical heads 提, 抬, 扛, 拿.
phonetic
旦 dàn
dawn; daybreak
旦 supplies the sound, with a tone shift dàn to dān. In simplified 担 it replaced traditional 擔's 詹 phonetic, a major reform substitution. The 'dawn' meaning has no role; pure sound shorthand.

Stroke Order

担 dàn