Chinese word

胆小

Pronunciation

Pinyindǎn xiǎo

他很胆小，不敢一个人去看医生。tā hěn dán xiǎo bù gǎn yí gè rén qù kàn yī shēng

He is very timid and is afraid to go to the doctor alone.

遇到新问题时，她往往显得胆小，不敢先开口提建议。yù dào xīn wèn tí shí tā wáng wǎng xiǎn de dán xiǎo bù gǎn xiān kāi kǒu tí jiàn yì

When she encounters a new problem, she often appears timid and does not dare to be the first to offer suggestions.

Fear takes the lead, so a person hesitates or retreats instead of facing a risk, a new situation, or a difficult task.

胆怯dǎn qiè: Showing little courage and hesitating when action is needed.
害怕hài pà: Being in a state of fear or worry about something.

胆小指在面对危险、不熟悉或挑战时容易害怕和退缩，缺乏勇气。dán xiǎo zhǐ zài miàn duì wēi xiǎn bù shú xī huò tiǎo zhàn shí róng yì hài pà hé tuì suō quē fá yǒng qì

The compound 胆小 (dǎnxiǎo, "timid") joins 胆 (dǎn, "courage") with 小 (xiǎo, "small"), a compact picture of courage being too slight to stand firm.

In everyday conversation, the label can sound blunt because it judges a person's courage; describing the particular situation instead sounds less personal.