淡 dàn
adjective
: weak; mild
: insipid; diluted
: light in color
: tasteless
: fresh
: indifferent
: nitrogen
淡い | あわい awai
adjective
: light; faint; pale; fleeting
淡す | あわす awasu
godan verb with su ending | transitive verb
: to remove the astringent taste from persimmons
薄い | うすい usui
adjective
: thin
: pale; light
: watery; dilute; sparse
: weak (taste, etc.)
: slim (probability, etc.); small
タン tan
淡水 dan4shui3: potable water (water with low salt content); fresh water
: Danshui or Tanshui town in New Taipei City 新北市, Taiwan
[たんすい tansui:f resh water (i.e. not salt water)]
淡水湖 dan4 shui3 hu2: fresh water lake
[たんすいこ tansuiko:freshwater lake]
淡湖 | たんこ tanko: freshwater lake
淡水魚[鱼] dan4 shui3 yu2:fresh-water fish [たんすいぎょ tansuigyo]
淡季 dan4ji4: off season; slow business season
淡化 dan4hua4: to water down; to play down; to trivialize; to weaken; to become dull with time; to desalinate; desalination
淡薄 dan4bo2: thin; light; flagging; faint
淡泊 dan4bo2: living a simple life
[たんぱく tanbaku: light (color, taste); simple; plain
: frank; candid; ingenuous; indifferent]
淡光 dan4’guang1: shimmer
平淡 ping2dan4: flat; dull; ordinary; nothing special
[へいたん heitan: simple; quiet]
冷淡 leng3dan4: cold; indifferent
[れいたん reitan: coolness; indifference]
清淡 qing1dan4: light (of food, not greasy or strongly flavored); insipid; slack (sales)
暗淡 an4dan4: dark; dim (light); dull (color); drab; (fig.) gloomy; bleak
沖[冲]淡 chong1dan4: to dilute
寡淡 gua3dan4: insipid; bland; indifferent
看得很淡 kan4de hen3 dan4: indifferent to
Japanese common word | expression | yojijukugo 四字熟語 | idiom
淡々 | たんたん tantan
: uninterested; unconcerned; indifferent
: plain; light; simple; bland
: flowing gently
淡青 | うすあお: light blue; pale blue
冷淡無情 | れいたんむじょう reitanmujou
: (yoji) cold-hearted; callous; pitiless; unsympathetic
閑寂枯淡 | かんじゃくこたん kanjakukotan
: (yoji) aesthetic sense in Japanese art emphasizing quiet simplicity and subdued refinement
Chinese expression | chengyu 成語 | idiom
白扯淡 bai2 che3 dan4: (coll.) to talk rubbish
胡扯淡 hu2 che3 dan4: nonsense; irresponsible patter
淡泊名利 dan4 bo2 ming2 li4
: not caring about fame and fortune; indifferent to worldly rewards
淡泊寡味 dan4 bo2 gua3 wei4
: insipid and tasteless
淡泊明志 dan4 bo2 ming2 zhi4
: living a simple life as one’s ideal
寧定淡泊 [宁定淡泊] ning2 ding4 dan4 bo2
: to live in contentment
平淡無奇 [平淡无奇] ping2 dan4 wu2 qi2
: ordinary and mediocre; nothing to write home about
粗茶淡飯 [粗茶淡饭] cu1 cha2 dan4 fan4
: plain tea and simple food; (fig.) bread and water
君子之交淡如水 jun1 zi3 zhi1 jiao1 dan4 ru2 shui3
: a gentleman’s friendship, insipid as water (from Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子 Zhuang1 zi3)
形声 Pictophonetic.
氵 (shui3: water radical 85) suggests the meaning while
炎 (yan2: flame) provides the sound.
Examples:
彼女は私に冷淡だ。
かのじょはわたしにれいたんだ kanojo wa watashi ni reitan da
She is cold to me.
這隻個月,生意很淡。
zhe4 zhi1 ge yue4 sheng1yi4 hen3 dan4
Business is bad these pass few months.
Resources: Chinese Dictionary | Japanese Dictionary
