闻风丧胆

聞風喪膽

wénfēng-sàngdǎn

idiom #34,649

Meanings

1 to be terror-stricken at the mere mention
2 to lose nerve at the first rumor

Characters

gallbladder, courage

Examples

敌人听到他的名字就闻风丧胆。

Dírén tīngdào tā de míngzi jiù wénfēng-sàngdǎn.

Enemies lost their nerve at the mere mention of his name.

这支部队让对手闻风丧胆。

Zhè zhī bùduì ràng duìshǒu wénfēng-sàngdǎn.

This unit strikes terror into its opponents.

Tips

memory

胆 = gallbladder, classically the seat of courage (like 'guts' in English). 丧胆 = 'to lose one's gallbladder' = to lose all courage.

Stroke Order

闻 wén

风 fēng

丧 sāng

胆 dǎn