耽

dān
#2,652 most
frequent character
to indulge in, to delay

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

耽 has 耳 ear as the meaning part and 冘 yín as a sound part, though the sound link is not obvious in Mandarin. It first meant drooping ears. The meaning to indulge in was borrowed for its sound, and from there came to delay.

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Same Characters, Different Readings

耽dān
variant of 耽[dan1]

Homophones

单dān
single, odd, unlined, thin, weak
担dān
measure word for goods carried on a shoulder pole
丹dān
red, pellet, powder, cinnabar

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