Meaning
大胆 literally means 'big gall bladder' and describes someone who is bold, daring, or audacious in their actions or ideas. In traditional Chinese medicine and culture, the gall bladder is associated with courage and decisiveness, so having a 'big' one means being especially brave or unafraid to take risks.
Usage
大胆 can be used positively to praise someone's courage and innovative thinking, or negatively to criticize someone for being reckless or presumptuous. It commonly appears in phrases like 大胆尝试 (boldly try) or 大胆假设 (bold hypothesis). When used as an adverb, it often appears before verbs to mean 'boldly' or 'daringly'.
Examples
- 01他大胆地提出了自己的想法。.He boldly put forward his own ideas.
- 02这个设计很大胆，但我觉得可以试试。, .This design is very bold, but I think we can give it a try.
Characters
Common collocations
- 大胆尝试to boldly try
- 大胆创新to boldly innovate
- 大胆假设to boldly hypothesize
- 大胆地说to speak boldly
Antonyms
Origin
The word combines 大 (big) with 胆 (gall bladder), reflecting the traditional Chinese belief that the gall bladder is the organ responsible for courage and bravery. A 'big gall bladder' thus metaphorically represents great courage.