pluck up courage; summon up courage
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesverb
to pluck up one's courage; to summon up courage; to brace oneself
dialectUsed in regional dialects. Describes forcing oneself to be brave despite fear or hesitation. Often used before a verb indicating the action taken with summoned courage. The neutral tones on 着 and 子 are characteristic of spoken/dialectal usage.
Tā他
zhà仗
zhe着
dǎn胆
zi子
zǒu走
guò过
le了
dú独
mù木
qiáo桥
。
He plucked up his courage and crossed the single-plank bridge.
Wǒ我
zhà仗
zhe着
dǎn胆
zi子
xiàng向
lǎo老
bǎn板
tí提
chū出
le了
jiā加
xīn薪
de的
yāo要
qiú求
。
I summoned up my courage and asked my boss for a raise.
Show 1 more exampleShow fewer examples
Zhà仗
zhe着
dǎn胆
zi子
，
tā他
bǎ把
zhēn真
xiàng相
gào告
sù诉
le了
dà大
jiā家
。
Bracing himself, he told everyone the truth.