胆子

膽子

dǎnzi

noun HSK 7-9 #7,258

Meanings

1 courage; nerve; guts

Characters

gallbladder; courage; guts

suffix (noun marker)

Examples

他的胆子真大！

Tā de dǎnzi zhēn dà!

He's really brave! / He has a lot of nerve!

她胆子小，不敢一个人走夜路。

Tā dǎnzi xiǎo, bù gǎn yīge rén zǒu yè lù.

She's timid and doesn't dare walk alone at night.

你胆子够大的，竟敢跟老板顶嘴。

Nǐ dǎnzi gòu dà de, jìnggǎn gēn lǎobǎn dǐngzuǐ.

You've got some nerve, actually talking back to the boss.

Tips

usage

胆子大 = brave/gutsy, 胆子小 = timid/cowardly. In Chinese, courage is literally associated with the gallbladder (胆). The bigger your 'gallbladder', the braver you are.

Stroke Order

胆 dǎn

子 zǐ