Definitions

dàn (noun) birth; birthday
dàn (verb) to boast; to brag

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "tell false words". The meaning later shifted to "boast", "increase", and "give birth". Simplified form of .

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character 诞, with its traditional form 誕, is structurally composed of the speech component 言 or its simplified counterpart 讠 paired with 延, denoting extension or prolongation, which originally pointed to meanings associated with elaborate or boastful speech. Its semantic range gradually shifted from these verbal connotations of exaggeration and falsehood to encompass the idea of birth, a change likely facilitated by phonetic borrowing or metaphorical association with the notion of emergence and beginning. This evolution established birth as the character's primary meaning in contemporary usage, while vestiges of its earlier senses relating to absurdity or fabrication remain in some compound words and classical contexts.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

节快到了。

Shèngdàn jié kuài dào le.

Christmas is coming soon.

婴儿生在医院。

Yīng'ér dànshēng zài yīyuàn.

The baby was born in the hospital.

我们庆祝圣节日。

Wǒmen qìngzhù shèngdàn jiérì.

We celebrate the Christmas holiday.

他的辰是五月一日。

Tā de dànchén shì wǔ yuè yī rì.

His birthday is on May first.

这个故事很荒

Zhège gùshi hěn huāngdàn.

This story is very absurd.

新公司生于去年。

Xīn gōngsī dànshēng yú qùnián.

The new company was established last year.

生的时刻令人感动。

Dànshēng de shíkè lìng rén gǎndòng.

The moment of birth is deeply moving.

这个理论生于实验中。

Zhège lǐlùn dànshēng yú shíyàn zhōng.

This theory was born out of experiments.