丹 dān cinnabar
cinnabar; red; vermilion; pellet
How to remember 丹: ⺆ outer limits + 一 one + 丶 a drop = cinnabar. At the outer limits of the old mine, the geologist holds up one stone with a drop of bright red and says it is cinnabar.
Component breakdown
丹 = ⺆ outer limits + 一 one + 丶 a drop
- ⺆ outer limits
- 一 one
- 丶 a drop
At the outer limits of the old mine, the geologist holds up one stone with a drop of bright red and says it is cinnabar.
How it is used
- Cinnabar red, hence 'red' in set phrases - 丹心 (dānxīn) a loyal red heart, 牡丹 (mǔdan) peony.
- Also the elixir/pellet of Daoist alchemy - 仙丹 (xiāndān) elixir of immortality, 灵丹妙药 a miracle cure.
- Poetic/classical flavor; not used for ordinary red things (that's 红).