dǎn xiǎo
timide; lâche
他胆小，不敢一个人走夜路。
tā dǎnxiǎo, bùgǎn yīgèrén zǒu yè lù.
He is timid and doesn't dare to walk alone at night.
胆小的人容易被欺负。
dǎnxiǎo de rén róngyì bèi qīfù.
Timid people are easily bullied.
不要胆小，勇敢面对困难。
bùyào dǎnxiǎo, yǒnggǎn miàn duì kùnnan.
Don't be timid, face the difficulties bravely.
胆怯 (dǎnqǔ)
timid
懦弱 (nuòruò)
cowardly
勇敢 (yǒnggǎn)
brave
大胆 (dàdǎn)
bold
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The Chinese word 胆小 (dǎnxiǎo) means "cowardly" or "timid". It is composed of two characters: 胆 (dǎn), which means "gallbladder" or "courage", and 小 (xiǎo), which means "small". The gallbladder was thought to be the seat of courage in ancient Chinese medicine, so the character 胆 is often used in words related to bravery or fear. The character 小 is used to indicate that the amount of courage is small, hence the meaning of "cowardly" or "timid".The word 胆小 has been used in Chinese for centuries. It can be found in many classical texts, such as the Analects of Confucius and the Book of Songs. It is also used in modern Chinese literature and everyday speech.The word 胆小 is a useful word to know for HSK learners. It is a common word that can be used in a variety of situations. It is also a good example of how Chinese characters can be combined to create new words with different meanings.
