to gan

Một người đàn ông to gan đứng lên phát biểu trước đám đông.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Bold, daring, or audacious: Describes a person who shows excessive courage, often to the point of recklessness or impudence, by doing something risky or defying norms or authority.
   • Having a lot of nerve: Suggests a person is shamelessly brave or defiant in a challenging situation.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Mày to gan thật! (You have a lot of nerve!)
  • Hắn to gan chống lại cảnh sát. (He was audacious enough to resist the police.)
  • Cô ấy to gan đi một mình trong rừng đêm. (She was bold enough to go alone in the night forest.)

Advanced Usage

• The term often carries a negative or critical connotation, implying the boldness is foolish, disrespectful, or imprudent.
• It can be used in a slightly admiring way for an act of defiant courage, though the recklessness is still emphasized.

Variants and Related Words

• To gan lớn mật (idiomatic phrase): An intensified form meaning "extremely audacious" or "having immense gall," combining "to gan" (big liver) with "lớn mật" (big gall bladder), both considered seats of courage in traditional belief.

Synonyms

• Audacious: Showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks.
• Daring: Adventurous courage.
• Reckless: Without thinking of danger or consequences.
• Impudent: Not showing due respect; cheeky.

Related Idioms

• To gan lớn mật: To be extremely bold or have tremendous gall.
  • Tên trộm to gan lớn mật đột nhập vào đồn công an. (The thief had the tremendous gall to break into the police station.)