Nothing’s Better than “淡定(dàndìng)” to Calm Someone Down!

In China, you will often hear the word "淡定(dàndìng)" used in daily life, on TV and see it a lot on the Internet. The word "淡定(dàndìng)" means “to calm down or to be at ease ab0ut something.” In a romantic comedy called “十全九美 (shí quán jiǔ měi, Almost Perfect), "淡定(dàndìng)" is a pet phrase of the majordomo called Wu Kaka. Whenever he sees someone in chaos or anxiety, he will say "淡定！(dàndìng!) 淡定！(dàndìng!)" After the release of this movie, the word has become popular among Chinese people, especially the young people.

"淡定(dàndìng)" can be used in different situations.

First, it can be used to ask someone to calm down. For example, your friend is very anxious before an imp0rtant speech. You want to encourage and comfort him, you can say:

Dàndìng! Nǐ huì chénggōng de!
淡定！     你  会  成功           的！

   
Calm down! You will do great.

Second, it can be used to suggest that a person be more self-collected when he/she is too proud, or excited.

Dàndìng! Nǐ bié tài xīngfèn le.
淡定！     你 别  太  兴奋    了。

   
Easy! Don’t be too excited.

Besides, it can also be used to describe a person who is extremely calm, especially facing things most people can’t face with a calm and cool mind.

Nǐ dōu shīyè le, wèishénme hái zhème dàndìng?
你 都    失业 了，为什么       还   这么      淡定？

    　
You just lost your job. Why are you still so calm?