胆小

膽小

dǎnxiǎo

adjective HSK 5 #7,388

Meanings

1 timid; cowardly
2 faint-hearted

Characters

gall bladder; courage

Small gall bladder — lacking courage.

Examples

他从小就很胆小。

Tā cóngxiǎo jiù hěn dǎnxiǎo.

He's been timid since he was young.

别那么胆小，试一试吧。

Bié nàme dǎnxiǎo, shì yī shì ba.

Don't be so timid, give it a try.

胆小鬼！

Dǎnxiǎoguǐ!

Coward!

Tips

usage

胆小鬼 (dǎnxiǎoguǐ) literally means 'timid ghost' — it's the Chinese equivalent of 'coward' or 'scaredy-cat.' The opposite is 胆大 (dǎndà, bold/brave).

Stroke Order

胆 dǎn

小 xiǎo