胆子

膽子

dǎnzi

noun HSK 7-9 #7,258

Meanings

1 courage; nerve; guts

Characters

gallbladder; courage; guts

suffix (noun marker)

Examples

HSK 1

他的胆子真大！

Tā de dǎnzi zhēn dà!

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

HSK 3

她胆子小，不敢一个人走夜路。

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

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

HSK 7-9

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