(dàn) - To eat, to chew & to entice, to lure

Tone 4

dàn | 11 strokes | radical:

· dàn

To eat, to chew;

to entice, to lure;

to taste or sample something.

To eat, to chewto entice, to lureto taste or sample something.

Usage highlights

To chew meatTo lure with baitTo taste foodTo entice someoneTo eat fruitTo nibble on something

Synonyms

  • To eat, to chew (modern variant)
  • To eat (common modern term)
  • To eat, food (classical term)

Antonyms

  • To spit out, vomit

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He chewed the meat slowly (啗肉).
  • The bait lured the fish (以饵啗鱼).
  • She tasted the new dish (啗新菜).

Collocations

  • To chew meat(啗肉)
  • To lure with bait(啗饵)
  • To taste food(啗食)
  • To entice someone(啗人)
  • To eat fruit(啗果)
  • To nibble on something(啗嚼)

Idioms

  • To eat raw meat and sleep on grass(啗肉寝皮)
  • To lure with sweet words(啗以甘言)
  • To drink blood and eat meat(啗血啗肉)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Ancient character for eating, now largely replaced by 啖 in modern usage.
  • Used in classical texts to describe both literal eating and metaphorical luring/enticement.
  • Appears in historical military contexts describing strategies to bait enemies.

FAQ