膽 (dǎn), the Chinese character that refers to the gallbladder, also stands for the concept of bravery and courage in traditional Chinese culture.
膽 is a pictophonetic character, a type of Chinese character that consists of two parts: a pictogram that suggests the character’s general meaning, and a phonetic component that indicates the pronunciation.
On the left, the pictogram⺼ (ròu or rù) is the radical for meat, which provides the general meaning of 膽 (dǎn), referring to the small organ located just under the liver.
On the right, 詹 (zhān, shàn, or dàn), which is a surname and also means being verbose, is the phonetic part that contributes to the pronunciation of 膽 (dǎn).
In traditional Chinese understanding, the gallbladder is the seat of courage and is associated with the capacity to make judgments and decisions and to take initiative to create change.
There are many Chinese terms and phrases using the character 膽 (dǎn) that express this understanding.
For example, 膽大 (dǎn dà), literally “big gallbladder,” refers to having a great deal of courage and being daring and fearless, while 膽小 (dǎn xiǎo), literally “small gallbladder,” refers to having little courage or being timid or cowardly.
Other terms that contain 膽 include 膽氣 (dǎn qì), 膽量 (dǎn liàng), and 膽力 (dǎn lì), describing bravery and courage; 膽識 (dǎn shí), having courage along with knowledge and insight; and 膽敢 (dǎn gǎn), daring to or having the audacity to do something.
膽寒 (dǎn hán) means being terrified, and gallstones are called 膽結石 (dǎn jié shí).
膽大心細 (dǎn dà xīn xì) describes someone who is bold and brave but also cautious, with a heart (心, xīn) that is (細, xì), or refined, careful, and detailed.
In contrast, 膽大包天 (dǎn dà bāo tiān) is a phrase that indicates reckless daring, referring to being extremely audacious and daring to the point of 包天 (bāo tiān), or “encompassing the heaven.”
And 膽小如鼠 (dǎn xiǎo rú shǔ) is someone who is as timid as a mouse, or 鼠 (shǔ).
一身是膽 (yī shēn shì dǎn), literally “the entire body is gallbladder,” describes a person who knows no fear and is the absolute embodiment of bravery and courage.
