胆

Etymology & Components

The Chinese character 胆 (dǎn) for "gallbladder" or "courage" is a pictophonetic character, combining a phonetic component 旦 (dàn) and a semantic component 心 (xīn). The phonetic component 旦 depicts a sun rising over the horizon, suggesting the idea of "beginning" or "dawn". The semantic component 心, meaning "heart", indicates that the character is related to internal organs or emotions. The combination of these two components creates the character 胆, which originally referred to the gallbladder, an organ associated with the production and storage of bile. In traditional Chinese medicine, the gallbladder was believed to be linked to courage and decisiveness, hence the character 胆 also took on the meaning of "courage" or "bravery". Over time, the character 胆 has been extended to refer to other related concepts, such as "daring", "audacity", or "guts". It can also be used in metaphorical contexts to describe someone with a strong spirit or determination.