敢

gǎn

乛 + 攵 + 耳

HSK 2.0Level 4

HSK 3.0Level 4

Definitions

gǎn (verb) to dare

gǎn (verb) (polite) may I venture

Etymology

Depicts a hand holding a hunting weapon (攵) catching a wild boar (豕). 甘 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "to hunt; to pursue". The meaning later shifted to "brave" and "to dare".

About

敢 means 'to dare' or 'courageous'. It combines 攵 (a hand holding a weapon) with a left side that fuses the phonetic 甘 and a remnant of 豕 'wild boar'. This preserves a scene of hunting: a hand catching a wild boar with a weapon, the original meaning 'to hunt'. The bravery required for such a pursuit later shifted to the abstract senses of 'brave' and 'to dare'.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Warring States (~400 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我不敢一个人去。

Wǒ bù gǎn yī gè rén qù.

I don't dare to go alone.

他敢在大家面前唱歌。

Tā gǎn zài dàjiā miànqián chànggē.

He dares to sing in front of everyone.

你敢尝试新食物吗？

Nǐ gǎn chángshì xīn shíwù ma?

Do you dare to try new food?

她敢于表达自己的意见。

Tā gǎnyú biǎodá zìjǐ de yìjiàn.

She dares to express her own opinions.

孩子们都很勇敢。

Háizimen dōu hěn yǒnggǎn.

The children are all very brave.

因为天黑，我不敢出门。

Yīnwèi tiān hēi, wǒ bù gǎn chūmén.

Because it's dark, I don't dare to go out.

公司敢于投资新技术。

Gōngsī gǎnyú tóuzī xīn jìshù.

The company dares to invest in new technology.

虽然风险很大，但他还是敢做这个决定。

Suīrán fēngxiǎn hěn dà, dàn tā háishì gǎn zuò zhège juédìng.

Although the risk is great, he still dares to make this decision.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 乛

Component: 攵

Component: 耳

Example Words