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胆小 (dǎn xiǎo) — Chinese word meaning

HSK 5

胆小 (dǎn xiǎo) is a Chinese word: timid, cowardly. This page shows its pinyin, translation, example sentences, character breakdown, decomposition, and HSK level.

Meaning of 胆小

形 xíng adjective

timid, cowardly

他很胆小，不敢一个人走夜路。

tā hěn dǎn xiǎo bù gǎn yí gè rén zǒu yè lù

He is very timid and doesn't dare walk alone at night.

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Word breakdown

胆 dǎn — courage, bravery (literally gallbladder)

Words with this character (5)
  • 1 大胆 dà dǎn — bold HSK 5
    • 大 big, great (intensifies the courage)
    • 胆 courage, guts, boldness (core concept of bravery)
    Example

    这是一个大胆的尝试。

    zhè shì yí gè dà dǎn de cháng shì

    This is a bold attempt.

  • 2 提心吊胆 tí xīn diào dǎn — on tenterhooks; anxious and fearful HSK 7
    • 提 lift, raise (the heart)
    • 心 heart (seat of emotions)
    • 吊 hang, suspend (in anxiety)
    • 胆 gallbladder, courage (source of bravery)
    Example

    孩子第一天上学，妈妈提心吊胆地等他回家。

    hái zi dì yī tiān shàng xué mā ma tí xīn diào dǎn de děng tā huí jiā

    On the child's first day of school, the mother anxiously waited for him to come home.

  • 3 胆小鬼 dǎn xiǎo guǐ — coward HSK 7
    • 胆 courage, guts
    • 小 small, little
    • 鬼 person, fellow (colloquial, slightly derogatory)
    Example

    你这个胆小鬼，连老鼠都怕。

    nǐ zhè ge dǎn xiǎo guǐ lián lǎo shǔ dōu pà

    You coward, you're even afraid of mice.

  • 4 胆怯 dǎn qiè — timid HSK 7
    • 胆 courage, bravery
    • 怯 fearful, timid
    Example

    她胆怯地走进了老师的办公室。

    tā dǎn qiè de zǒu jìn le lǎo shī de bàn gōng shì

    She timidly walked into the teacher's office.

  • 5 胆量 dǎn liàng — courage HSK 7
    • 胆 gallbladder; metaphorically represents courage or bravery
    • 量 capacity; amount; indicates the measure or degree of courage
    Example

    你真有胆量敢这样做。

    nǐ zhēn yǒu dǎn liàng gǎn zhè yàng zuò

    You really have the guts to dare to do this.

小 xiǎo — small, little (indicating lack of courage)

Words with this character (37)
Show more (+32)
  • 6 小孩儿 xiǎo hái r — child, kid HSK 2
    • 小 small, little
    • 孩 child
    • 儿 diminutive suffix (erhua)
    Example

    这个小孩儿很可爱。

    zhè ge xiǎo hái r hěn kě ài

    This child is very cute.

  • 7 小时候 xiǎo shí hòu — childhood; when (one was) young HSK 2
    • 小 young, little (referring to age)
    • 时 time
    • 候 period, moment (forms 时候 meaning 'time, period')
    Example

    我小时候很喜欢画画。

    wǒ xiǎo shí hòu hěn xǐ huan huà huà

    I really liked drawing when I was young.

  • 8 大小 dà xiǎo — size HSK 3
    • 大 big, large (representing the larger end of the size spectrum)
    • 小 small, little (representing the smaller end of the size spectrum)
    Example

    这件衣服的大小正合适。

    zhè jiàn yī fu de dà xiǎo zhèng hé shì

    The size of this clothing is just right.

  • 9 小区 xiǎo qū — residential community HSK 3
    • 小 small, indicating a subdivision or local area
    • 区 district or area, indicating a defined zone
    Example

    我住在一个很安静的小区里。

    wǒ zhù zài yí ge hěn ān jìng de xiǎo qū lǐ

    I live in a very quiet residential community.

  • 10 小心 xiǎo xīn — be careful HSK 3
    • 小 small, indicating carefulness or restraint
    • 心 heart/mind, indicating mental attention
    Example

    小心地板很滑。

    xiǎo xīn dì bǎn hěn huá

    Be careful, the floor is very slippery.

  • 11 小伙子 xiǎo huǒ zi — young man HSK 4
    • 小 young, little
    • 伙 fellow, guy
    • 子 nominal suffix (person)
    Example

    小伙子，你来自哪里？

    xiǎo huǒ zi nǐ lái zì nǎ lǐ

    Young man, where are you from?

  • 12 小吃 xiǎo chī — snack, street food HSK 4
    • 小 small (referring to small portions or modest servings)
    • 吃 eat, food (referring to things to eat)
    Example

    我喜欢吃台湾小吃。

    wǒ xǐ huan chī tái wān xiǎo chī

    I like to eat Taiwanese snacks.

  • 13 小组 xiǎo zǔ — group HSK 4
    • 小 small (indicating a small-scale group)
    • 组 group, team (the core meaning of organized collection)
    Example

    我们分成了三个小组。

    wǒ men fēn chéng le sān gè xiǎo zǔ

    We divided into three groups.

  • 14 小说 xiǎo shuō — novel HSK 4
    • 小 small, minor (referring to lighter narrative stories)
    • 说 to speak, to tell (referring to narrative or story)
    Example

    她正在写一部小说。

    tā zhèng zài xiě yī bù xiǎo shuō

    She is writing a novel.

  • 15 小于 xiǎo yú — less than HSK 5
    • 小 small, little; indicates the lesser quantity in comparison
    • 于 than; a comparative particle connecting the comparison
    Example

    这个数小于一百。

    zhè ge shù xiǎo yú yì bǎi

    This number is less than one hundred.

  • 16 小型 xiǎo xíng — small-sized HSK 5
    • 小 small (indicates size)
    • 型 type/model (indicates category or form)
    Example

    这是一辆小型汽车。

    zhè shì yī liàng xiǎo xíng qì chē

    This is a small-sized car.

  • 17 小姐 xiǎo jiě — Miss; young lady HSK 5
    • 小 young; little
    • 姐 elder sister; lady
    Example

    小姐，请问您需要什么？

    xiǎo jiě qǐng wèn nín xū yào shén me

    Miss, what would you like?

  • 18 缩小 suō xiǎo — to reduce, to shrink HSK 5
    • 缩 to shrink, to contract
    • 小 small, smaller
    Example

    这个差距正在逐渐缩小。

    zhè ge chā jù zhèng zài zhú jiàn suō xiǎo

    This gap is gradually narrowing.

  • 19 小偷儿 xiǎo tōu r — thief HSK 6
    • 小 small, petty (adds colloquial tone)
    • 偷 steal, thief (core meaning)
    • 儿 diminutive suffix (Beijing dialect flavor)
    Example

    小偷儿偷走了我的钱包。

    xiǎo tōu r tōu zǒu le wǒ de qián bāo

    The thief stole my wallet.

  • 20 小气 xiǎo qi — stingy HSK 6
    • 小 small, petty
    • 气 disposition, temperament
    Example

    他很小气，从不请朋友吃饭。

    tā hěn xiǎo qi cóng bù qǐng péng you chī fàn

    He's very stingy, never treats friends to meals.

  • 21 小麦 xiǎo mài — wheat HSK 6
    • 小 small (distinguishing wheat from other grains)
    • 麦 wheat/grain (the base cereal crop)
    Example

    农民正在收割小麦。

    nóng mín zhèng zài shōu gē xiǎo mài

    The farmers are harvesting wheat.

  • 22 微小 wēi xiǎo — tiny HSK 6
    • 微 minute, extremely small
    • 小 small, little
    Example

    即使是微小的进步也值得庆祝。

    jí shǐ shì wēi xiǎo de jìn bù yě zhí dé qìng zhù

    Even tiny progress is worth celebrating.

  • 23 大同小异 dà tóng xiǎo yì — largely similar with minor differences HSK 7
    • 大 major, large (referring to major similarities)
    • 同 same, similar (the similarities/commonalities)
    • 小 small, minor (referring to minor differences)
    • 异 different, dissimilar (the differences/variations)
    Example

    这两个方案大同小异，没有本质区别。

    zhè liǎng gè fāng àn dà tóng xiǎo yì méi yǒu běn zhì qū bié

    These two proposals are largely similar with minor differences; there is no essential distinction.

  • 24 大惊小怪 dà jīng xiǎo guài — to make a fuss about nothing, to overreact HSK 7
    • 大 big, great (emphasizing excessive reaction)
    • 惊 alarm, startle (the overblown emotional response)
    • 小 small, little (indicating the trivial nature of the cause)
    • 怪 strange, odd (the unusual occurrence that shouldn't warrant alarm)
    Example

    他只是迟到了五分钟，你不要大惊小怪。

    tā zhǐ shì chí dào le wǔ fēn zhōng nǐ bú yào dà jīng xiǎo guài

    He's only five minutes late, don't make a fuss about it.

  • 25 大街小巷 dà jiē xiǎo xiàng — streets and alleys HSK 7
    • 大 big, large (referring to main streets)
    • 街 street (main thoroughfare)
    • 小 small, little (referring to narrow alleys)
    • 巷 alley, lane (narrow pathway)
    Example

    节日期间，大街小巷都挂满了灯笼。

    jié rì qī jiān dà jiē xiǎo xiàng dōu guà mǎn le dēng lóng

    During the festival, lanterns were hung all over the streets and alleys.

  • 26 小丑 xiǎo chǒu — clown HSK 7
    • 小 small; minor (forms compound with 丑 to mean 'clown')
    • 丑 clown role (from traditional Chinese opera); ugly; comedic character
    Example

    马戏团的小丑表演很有趣。

    mǎ xì tuán de xiǎo chǒu biǎo yǎn hěn yǒu qù

    The circus clown's performance is very interesting.

  • 27 小人 xiǎo rén — villain; petty person HSK 7
    • 小 small; petty (connotes base or mean-spirited)
    • 人 person; human (indicates a type of person)
    Example

    他是个小人，总是背后说人坏话。

    tā shì gè xiǎo rén zǒng shì bèi hòu shuō rén huài huà

    He is a villain who always gossips behind people's backs.

  • 28 小品 xiǎo pǐn — skit, comic sketch HSK 7
    • 小 small, short (indicating brief duration)
    • 品 piece, work (artistic or performance piece)
    Example

    他们在春节晚会上表演了一个小品。

    tā men zài chūn jié wǎn huì shàng biǎo yǎn le yí ge xiǎo pǐn

    They performed a skit at the Spring Festival Gala.

  • 29 小康 xiǎo kāng — moderately prosperous HSK 7
    • 小 small, modest - indicates moderate level
    • 康 prosperity, well-being - indicates comfortable living
    Example

    他们家已经过上了小康生活。

    tā men jiā yǐ jīng guò shàng le xiǎo kāng shēng huó

    Their family has already achieved a moderately prosperous life.

  • 30 小心翼翼 xiǎo xīn yì yì — cautiously; very carefully HSK 7
    • 小 small; forms 'careful' with 心
    • 心 heart/mind; forms 'careful' with 小
    • 翼 wing; symbolizes protective carefulness
    • 翼 wing (repeated); emphasizes extreme carefulness
    Example

    妈妈小心翼翼地抱着刚出生的宝宝。

    mā ma xiǎo xīn yì yì de bào zhe gāng chū shēng de bǎo bao

    Mother carefully held the newborn baby.

  • 31 小提琴 xiǎo tí qín — violin HSK 7
    • 小 small (indicating smaller size compared to other string instruments)
    • 提 to lift/hold up (describing how the instrument is held while playing)
    • 琴 stringed instrument (general category of musical instrument)
    Example

    我妹妹正在拉小提琴。

    wǒ mèi mei zhèng zài lā xiǎo tí qín

    My younger sister is playing the violin.

  • 32 小看 xiǎo kàn — underestimate HSK 7
    • 小 small, insignificant (viewing as lesser)
    • 看 to view, to regard (the act of perceiving)
    Example

    不要小看他，他很有能力。

    bú yào xiǎo kàn tā tā hěn yǒu néng lì

    Don't underestimate him, he's very capable.

  • 33 小菜一碟 xiǎo cài yì dié — a piece of cake HSK 7
    Example

    这对他来说是小菜一碟。

    zhè duì tā lái shuō shì xiǎo cài yì dié

    This is a piece of cake for him.

  • 34 小费 xiǎo fèi — tip HSK 7
    • 小 small, little (indicating a small amount)
    • 费 fee, expense (money paid)
    Example

    在美国，给服务员小费是很常见的。

    zài měi guó gěi fú wù yuán xiǎo fèi shì hěn cháng jiàn de

    In America, giving tips to servers is very common.

  • 35 渺小 miǎo xiǎo — insignificant HSK 7
    • 渺 distant, remote, negligible
    • 小 small
    Example

    在宇宙中，人类显得渺小。

    zài yǔ zhōu zhōng rén lèi xiǎn de miǎo xiǎo

    In the universe, humanity appears insignificant.

  • 36 狭小 xiá xiǎo — narrow HSK 7
    • 狭 narrow, confined
    • 小 small
    Example

    他住在一个狭小的公寓里。

    tā zhù zài yí ge xiá xiǎo de gōng yù lǐ

    He lives in a cramped apartment.

  • 37 胆小鬼 dǎn xiǎo guǐ — coward HSK 7
    • 胆 courage, guts
    • 小 small, little
    • 鬼 person, fellow (colloquial, slightly derogatory)
    Example

    你这个胆小鬼，连老鼠都怕。

    nǐ zhè ge dǎn xiǎo guǐ lián lǎo shǔ dōu pà

    You coward, you're even afraid of mice.

Structure & writing
1 胆 dǎn — gallbladder, the sac-like organ that stores bile

胆 is not used as a component in any other character.

consists of

1.1 ⺼ — flesh/meat radical, representing body tissue or muscle
⺼ is a component in 68 characters
HSK 1
能 néng ability; talent; skill 脑 nǎo brain (the main part of the nervous system, located in the cranial cavity, comprising cerebrum, cerebellum, brainstem, etc.)
HSK 2
然 rán (lit.) correct; right
HSK 3
育 yù to give birth to 胖 pàng fat, overweight (opposite of 瘦) 脏 zàng internal organs of the body 脚 jiǎo foot (of a person or animal) 脸 liǎn face (front of the head, from forehead to chin)
Show more HSK 3 characters (+1)
腿 tuǐ leg (of a person or animal)
HSK 4
肚 dù belly; abdomen 肤 fū skin, the outer surface of the human body 肯 kěn meat attached to bone; key or vital part 背 bèi back (of the upper body, opposite the chest and abdomen) 胳 gē arm (used in "胳膊" "胳臂"), the part of the upper limb between the shoulder and the wrist
Show more HSK 4 characters (+4)
脱 tuō to come off; to fall away 脾 pí spleen (internal organ) 膊 bo 膏 gāo fat; grease; oil
HSK 5
捐 juān to abandon; to give up 肌 jī muscle; tissue composed of muscle fibers capable of contraction 肖 xiào to resemble, to look like 肥 féi fat; containing much fat (opposite of 'lean'; generally not used for people except in 肥胖, 减肥) 胁 xié the side of the body between the armpit and the waist
Show more HSK 5 characters (+6)
胃 wèi stomach (digestive organ connecting the esophagus and duodenum) 胆 dǎn gallbladder, the sac-like organ that stores bile 胜 shèng to defeat an opponent or enemy 胡 hú ancient general term for northern and western ethnic peoples 腰 yāo waist; the middle part of the body between the hips and ribs 膀 bǎng upper arm connected to the shoulder
HSK 6
肝 gān liver (digestive organ in humans and higher animals) 肠 cháng intestine (digestive organ connecting stomach to anus, divided into small and large intestine) 股 gǔ thigh (from hip to knee) 肩 jiān shoulder, the part of the body between the neck and arm 肪 fáng fat (as in 脂肪): organic compound formed from fatty acids and glycerol, stored in animal and plant tissue as an energy source
Show more HSK 6 characters (+11)
肺 fèi lung (respiratory organ) 肿 zhǒng to swell (of skin, mucous membrane, muscle, etc. due to circulatory obstruction, inflammation, suppuration, or internal bleeding) 胞 bāo placenta and fetal membranes 胶 jiāo glue or adhesive substance (made from animal hides, horns, or plant secretions, or synthetic) 胸 xiōng chest; the front of the torso between the neck and abdomen 脂 zhī fat or oil from animal tissue or oil-bearing plant seeds 脆 cuì brittle; easily broken (opposite of "韧") 脖 bó neck (the part connecting head and torso) 腔 qiāng hollow or organ-containing cavity inside an animal's body 臂 bì arm 骨 gǔ bone, the hard tissue supporting the body in humans and vertebrates
HSK 7
婿 xù husband 祭 jì to pay tribute to the deceased 筋 jīn tendon or ligament connecting muscle to bone 肢 zhī limb (arm or leg of a person, or leg of certain animals) 胀 zhàng to swell, expand in volume (opposite of 缩)
Show more HSK 7 characters (+18)
胎 tāi fetus; embryo in the womb of a human or other mammal 胚 pēi embryo; organism in early development, formed from fertilized or unfertilized egg 脉 mài blood vessel 腆 tiǎn (lit.) abundant; plentiful 腊 là ancient winter sacrifice to the gods held in the 12th lunar month 腕 wàn wrist; ankle 腥 xīng raw meat; meat and fish foods 腹 fù abdomen; belly 腻 nì to feel put off by greasy food 腼 miǎn shy and awkward; see 腼腆 膛 táng body cavity 膜 mó membrane (thin tissue in humans, animals, and plants) 膝 xī knee, the front part connecting the thigh and lower leg, containing a joint 膨 péng to expand in volume; to swell 膳 shàn meal; food 臀 tún buttocks 藤 téng plant name: ① wisteria (紫藤), a climbing plant with purple flowers, commonly called 藤萝; ② rattan (白藤), an evergreen woody plant with long, flexible yet tough stems used for weaving chairs, baskets, and boxes, commonly called 藤子; ③ gamboge tree (藤黄), an evergreen tree with round fruit and yellow resin used as a pigment, but toxic and not for coloring food 豚 tún piglet; pig in general
1.2 旦 dàn — dawn; early morning
旦 is a component in 11 characters
HSK 1
得 dé to get; to obtain (opposite of 失) 是 shì correct; right (opposite of 非)
HSK 2
但 dàn only, merely
HSK 3
担 dān to carry on a shoulder pole 查 chá to inspect carefully; to examine
HSK 4
量 liàng ancient measuring vessel (e.g. dǒu, shēng)
HSK 5
胆 dǎn gallbladder, the sac-like organ that stores bile
HSK 6
碍 ài to hinder, obstruct
HSK 7
坦 tǎn flat and wide 昼 zhòu daytime; the period from dawn to dusk (opposite of '夜') 暨 jì and; as well as (connecting nouns or noun phrases)

Stroke order

2 小 xiǎo — small; little (opposite of 大)
小 is a component in 11 characters
HSK 1
少 shǎo few; little (opposite of 多)
HSK 3
叔 shū father's younger brother; also a form of address for a man of the same generation as one's father but younger and unrelated (can be reduplicated)
HSK 4
京 jīng capital city of a country 亲 qīn related by blood or marriage; esp. parents 孙 sūn grandchild; relatives of the grandchild's generation 尔 ěr (lit.) you (second-person pronoun) 戚 qi
HSK 6
尖 jiān tip or pointed end of an object 尘 chén dust, flying dirt
HSK 7
隙 xì crack; crevice 雀 què sparrow; small bird with long wings, varies in plumage between sexes, feeds on grains and insects; refers broadly to small birds

小 is an atomic character — it does not decompose further.

Stroke order