诞

誕

dàn

Rank #1997

Definitions

dàn (noun) birth; birthday

dàn (verb) to boast; to brag

Etymology

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

Semantic: 讠 Phonetic: 延

About

Etymologically, the character '诞' traces back to concepts of speech, evident in its traditional composition '誕' that combines the speech radical '言' with the phonetic element '延' implying extension. Its primary early meaning involved verbal expression or declaration, which gradually shifted to denote birth, possibly influenced by formal announcements associated with childbirth. This semantic expansion also led to derived meanings of absurdity or fantasticalness, capturing notions of exaggerated or improbable speech. While the simplified form alters the graphic representation of the speech component to '讠', it preserves the phonetic '延', maintaining a link to its historical structure.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

圣诞节快到了。

Shèngdàn jié kuài dào le.

Christmas is coming soon.

婴儿诞生在医院。

Yīng'ér dànshēng zài yīyuàn.

The baby was born in the hospital.

我们庆祝圣诞节日。

Wǒmen qìngzhù shèngdàn jiérì.

We celebrate the Christmas holiday.

他的诞辰是五月一日。

Tā de dànchén shì wǔ yuè yī rì.

His birthday is on May first.

这个故事很荒诞。

Zhège gùshi hěn huāngdàn.

This story is very absurd.

新公司诞生于去年。

Xīn gōngsī dànshēng yú qùnián.

The new company was established last year.

诞生的时刻令人感动。

Dànshēng de shíkè lìng rén gǎndòng.

The moment of birth is deeply moving.

这个理论诞生于实验中。

Zhège lǐlùn dànshēng yú shíyàn zhōng.

This theory was born out of experiments.

Related Characters

Component: 延

Component: 讠

Components

延讠

诞