Taxonomy of meanings for 憚:　　

  • 憚 dàn (OC: daans MC: dɑn) 徒案切 去 廣韻：【難也又忌惡也徒案切六 】
    • FEAR
      • vt+V[0]be afraid to V, fear to, shrink from V-ing; shy away from V-ing
      • vtoNstativebe afraid of; fear (a person)
      • vtoSfear that S
      • vt+prep+Nfret when faced with, be fearful of
    • seniors, politely>RESPECT
      • vtoNpassivebe feared and respectedLZ
    • with dislike>HATE
      • flinch>WITHDRAW
        • vtoNshirk NLZ
      • beware>CAUTIOUS
        • EXHAUST
            (癉)
          • KILL
              (殫)
            • JOY
                (憚漫)

              Additional information about 憚

              說文解字: 【憚】，忌難也。从心、單聲。一曰：難也。 【徒案切】

                Criteria
              • FEAR

                1. The most general word for any kind of passing fear is probably jù 懼 and this word naturally links with yōu 憂 "worry", and this word refers to a momentary historical moment where that fear manifested itself ( 文王乃懼 "then King Wén got scared"). Jù sǐ 懼死 is momentary fear for one's life, whereas wèi sǐ 畏死 refers to a general state where one is too frightened to sacrifice one's life.

                2. Kǒng 恐 refers primarily to intense or overwhelming possibly passing state of fear, and the word differs from jù 懼 mainly in degree of intensity and in the managability of the danger faced.

                3. Wèi 畏 is typically a stable state of reasoned fear, typically relating those who are in authority (the etymologically related wēi 威 on which relation there is much word-play in texts like ZUO), or ghosts etc, but the word also has extended generalised uses, as in wèi sǐ 畏死 "be afraid to die".

                4. Jīng 驚 refers to the sudden onset of fear when someone is faced with an unexpected danger.

                5. Lì 栗 / 慄 and zhàn 戰 is to shiver with intense fear, and the physical expression of fear can be more prominent the inner feeling expressed through shivering.

                6. Qiè 怯 "chicken-livered and unlikely to undertake risky tasks" and nuò 懦 (ant. yǒng 勇 "courage, boldness") as well as dàn 憚 "unduly prone to feelings of fear" refer to being pusilanimousness or the lack or courage where courage is required.

                7. Bù 怖 "be in a current acute state of fear" has no weakened generalised uses.

                8. Sǒng 悚 / 聳 "be fretful, given to fear; get slightly frightened" refers to mild forms of (possibly superfluous or reprehensible) fear.

                9. Jì 悸 refers to symptoms of violent heart-beat caused by intense fear.

                NB: Pà 怕 is post-Buddhist (TANG).