Definitions

dàn (noun) egg
dàn (noun) oval-shaped thing

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character 蛋 is structured with the component 疋 positioned above 虫, where 虫 represents creeping or egg-laying creatures and 疋 may have contributed to its historical phonetic value. Etymologically, it is linked to terms for progeny and the act of laying eggs, with its initial meaning focused on the eggs of birds and reptiles before expanding to include any egg-like object and adopting metaphorical uses in informal language.

Example Sentences Hide

很有营养。

Jī dàn hěn yǒu yíng yǎng.

Eggs are very nutritious.

妈妈早餐做了煎鸡

Mā ma zǎo cān zuò le jiān jī dàn.

Mom made fried eggs for breakfast.

糕上插着生日蜡烛。

Dàn gāo shàng chā zhe shēng rì là zhú.

There are birthday candles on the cake.

他小心地把壳剥了下来。

Tā xiǎo xīn de bǎ dàn ké bāo le xià lái.

He carefully peeled off the eggshell.

科学家在实验室里研究白质。

Kē xué jiā zài shí yàn shì lǐ yán jiū dàn bái zhì.

Scientists are studying proteins in the laboratory.

这个厨师最拿手的是苏格兰

Zhè ge chú shī zuì ná shǒu de shì sū gé lán dàn.

This chef's specialty is Scotch eggs.

他讲话时紧张得像个滚动的

Tā jiǎng huà shí jǐn zhāng de xiàng gè gǔn dòng de dàn.

He was as nervous as a rolling egg when he spoke.

的孵化过程需要恒定的温度。

Niǎo dàn de fū huà guò chéng xū yào héng dìng de wēn dù.

The hatching process of bird eggs requires a constant temperature.