胆小 dǎnxiǎo cowardice
cowardice; timid
How to remember 胆小: 胆 gallbladder + 小 small = cowardice.
Characters
How it is used
- Timid, easily frightened - 他胆小 (tā dǎnxiǎo) he's timid; 胆小鬼 (dǎnxiǎoguǐ) a coward, a scaredy-cat.
- Literally 'small-gallbladder', the gallbladder being the seat of courage in Chinese; its opposite is 胆大 (dǎndà, bold) - 胆大心细 (dǎndà xīnxì) bold but careful.
- An adjective describing disposition, not a one-off scare.
Example sentences
- 老鼠是胆小的生物。 Lǎoshǔ shì dǎnxiǎo de shēngwù.A mouse is a timid creature.