Chinese word

敢

Pronunciation

Pinyingǎn

Meaning

  • auxiliary verbdare

Example

你敢告诉她吗？nǐ gǎn gào sù tā ma

Do you dare tell her?

Illustration for 敢 (dare)

More examples

在会议上，她敢承认自己的错误。zài huì yì shàng tā gǎn chéng rèn zì jǐ de cuò wù

At the meeting, she dared to admit her own mistake.

Core concept

The moment when hesitation gives way to bold action.

Common phrases

  • 敢面对困难gǎn miàn duì kùn nán

    dare face difficulties

  • 敢承认错误gǎn chéng rèn cuò wù

    dare admit mistakes

Similar words

愿意yuàn yì: Expresses a wish or willingness to take an action.
能néng: Expresses having the ability or suitable conditions to do something.
可以ké yǐ: Expresses being allowed or having suitable circumstances to do something.
会huì: Expresses having learned how to do something through practice or experience.

Definition in Chinese

有勇气、不畏惧，常作助动词表示是否敢于做某事。yǒu yǒng qì bú wèi jù cháng zuò zhù dòng cí biǎo shì shì fǒu gǎn yú zuò mǒu shì

Word origin

The older meaning of 敢 (gǎn, "dare") centered on being bold, while its modern auxiliary use extends that idea to whether someone will take a particular action.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, a question with this word can sound like a challenge about nerve rather than a neutral question about ability.

Other meanings

  • be brave enoughauxiliary verb

Opposites

  • 不敢bù gǎnnot dareauxiliary verb

Word lists with this word