敢于

• Pinyin: gǎn yú
• Hanzi breakdown: 敢 = originally depicted a hand holding a weapon, meaning courage; 于 = grammatical particle indicating direction or object

Meaning

To dare to; to have the courage to. Emphasizes boldness in taking action.

A formal way to express courage and willingness to face challenges. Often used in positive contexts: 敢于创新 (dare to innovate), 敢于承担责任 (dare to take responsibility), 敢于挑战 (dare to challenge). More formal than simply using 敢, and often appears in speeches, essays, and official documents.

Examples

1. 一个优秀的领导者要敢于承认自己的错误。 An excellent leader must have the courage to admit their mistakes.
2. 年轻人应该敢于尝试新事物，不要害怕失败。 Young people should dare to try new things and not be afraid of failure.
3. 只有敢于打破常规的人，才能实现真正的创新。 Only those who dare to break conventions can achieve true innovation.

Usage Guide

Context: encouragement, leadership, character descriptions

Tone: inspiring

Do Say

• 我们要敢于质疑权威。(We must dare to question authority.)
• 敢于追梦的人最可敬。(Those who dare to pursue their dreams are most admirable.)

Don't Say

• 在日常口语中用敢于显得过于正式 (In casual conversation, just use 敢 — 敢于 sounds overly formal for everyday speech)

Origin & History

Compound of 敢 (to dare) + 于 (to, at — preposition). 于 formalizes and emphasizes the action that follows.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal