Today’s word of the day is 蛋 (dàn) which means egg. Let’s practice by making different words, phrases, and sentences with 蛋 (dàn).
完蛋 (wán dàn) To be doomed
The first word is 完蛋 (wán dàn) which means ‘to be doomed’. Let’s look at each character of this word, 完 means to finish and 蛋 (dàn) means egg. It literally means ‘to finish egg’ but in fact has nothing to do with eggs nowadays. Historically the word came about to describe eggs that didn’t hatch when the incubation period is finished. You can use it for example when your friend has a big exam or maybe a job interview the next day and they have done no preparation. You can say to them 你完蛋了！(Nǐ wándànle!) which means ‘You are doomed!’.
笨蛋 (bèn dàn) Idiot
Another word we can create with 蛋 (dàn) is 笨蛋 (bèn dàn). This is a light insult that means ‘idiot’. Let’s again look at each character of this word, 笨 means stupid and 蛋means egg, so it literally means ‘stupid egg’. You can use it as a counterargument when people underestimate you. You can tell them 不要小看我，我不是个笨蛋。(Bú yào xiǎo kàn wǒ, wǒ bú shì gè bèndàn.) Don’t underestimate me. I am not an idiot.
鸡蛋 (jī dàn) Chicken egg
Finally, we can create the word 鸡蛋 (jī dàn) which is a noun that means chicken egg. Unlike the other two words, this one actually refers to the eggs themselves. A very popular and simple Chinese dish to make is 西红柿炒蛋 (xīhóngshì chǎo dàn) which is scrambled eggs with tomatoes.