p8nda
p8nda BETA
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担

擔
dàn / dān
measure word HSK 7-9 #9,676

Meanings

  1. 1 a load carried on a shoulder pole
  2. 2 picul (a unit of weight, 100 catties, about 50 kg)
  3. 3 classifier for loads carried on a shoulder pole

Examples

HSK 3
担担面是有名的四川菜。
Dàndànmiàn shì yǒumíng de Sìchuān cài.
Dandan noodles are a famous Sichuan dish.
HSK 6
他肩上挑着沉重的担子。
Tā jiānshàng tiāo zhe chénzhòng de dànzi.
He carried a heavy burden on his shoulders.
HSK 7-9
他从山上挑回两担柴。
Tā cóng shānshàng tiāo huí liǎng dàn chái.
He brought back two loads of firewood from the mountain.

Tips

usage
The fourth-tone dàn is the noun and classifier: a shoulder-pole load, the unit 担 (a picul, about 50 kg), and the figurative 重担 (heavy responsibility). 担担面 is named for the carrying pole street vendors once used. For the verb 'to carry / undertake' use the dān reading.

Components

radical
扌 shǒu
hand (left-side form)
扌 is left-side 手 and marks 担 as a lifting action, bearing a load on a shoulder pole is hands-and-arms work. The same radical heads 提, 抬, 扛, 拿.
phonetic
旦 dàn
dawn; daybreak
旦 supplies the sound, with a tone shift dàn to dān. In simplified 担 it replaced traditional 擔's 詹 phonetic, a major reform substitution. The 'dawn' meaning has no role; pure sound shorthand.

Stroke Order

担 dàn