闻风丧胆

聞風喪膽

wénfēngsàngdǎn

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 tīng dào tā de míngzi jiù wén fēng sàng dǎn.

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 wén fēng sàng dǎn.

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