胆 is strongly tied to courage in Chinese: 胆子大 (bold), 胆子小 (timid), 胆量 (courage), 大胆 (daring). The expression 吓破胆 (scared to the point of breaking one's gall bladder) means 'terrified beyond measure.'
culture
The idiom 卧薪尝胆 (wò xīn cháng dǎn, 'sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall') describes enduring hardship to fuel determination for revenge. It comes from the story of King Goujian of Yue (越王勾践).
