啖 (dàn) - To eat, to feed & to entice with bait

啖Tone 4

dàn ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

橙丁

啖 · dàn

To eat, to feed;

to entice with bait;

to taste;

to bite;

to swallow.

To eat, to feedto entice with baitto taste

Usage highlights

Eat fruitBait fishTaste medicineSwallow foodBite meatFeast heartily

Synonyms

  • 吃— to eat (more common, neutral)
  • 食— to eat (literary or formal)
  • 吞— to swallow

Antonyms

  • 吐— to spit out, to vomit

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He ate a piece of fruit (啖水果).
  • The fisherman used bait to lure the fish (以饵啖鱼).
  • This medicine is bitter to taste (此药苦口难啖).
  • She took a bite of the cake (啖了一口蛋糕).

Collocations

  • Eat fruit(啖果)
  • Bait fish(啖鱼)
  • Taste medicine(啖药)
  • Swallow food(啖食)
  • Bite meat(啖肉)
  • Feast heartily(大啖)

Idioms

  • Eating raw onions and drinking vinegar — enduring hardship(啖葱饮醋)
  • Eating meat and drinking wine — living luxuriously(啖肉饮酒)
  • Using profit to entice someone(啖之以利)
  • The brave man feasts on the enemy's flesh(壮士啖仇雠之肉)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Appears in historical texts describing eating, especially with vigor or in military contexts (e.g., 'Fan Kuai eating raw meat').
  • Used metaphorically for enticing or luring someone, as in strategic or persuasive contexts.
  • Can imply a bold, almost primal act of consumption, not just polite eating.

FAQ