血 xuè blood
How to remember 血: ㇒ falling stroke + 皿 dish = blood. The chef makes one careless falling stroke with the knife, a red drop lands in the white dish, and he stares at his own blood.
Component breakdown
血 = ㇒ falling stroke + 皿 dish
- ㇒ falling stroke
- 皿 dish
The chef makes one careless falling stroke with the knife, a red drop lands in the white dish, and he stares at his own blood.
How it came to be
A dish, with one drop drawn above the rim. The dish is the same as anywhere else; the single drop is the whole character, about to fall in as an offering.
How it is used
- 'Blood' - two readings: formal xuè (血液 xuèyè blood, 血压 xuèyā blood pressure) and colloquial xiě (流血 liúxiě bleed) in speech.
- 血型 (xuèxíng) = blood type; 心血 (xīnxuè) = painstaking effort ('heart's blood'): 花了很多心血 (huāle hěn duō xīnxuè) poured a lot into it.
- 一针见血 (yìzhēn-jiànxiě) = to hit the nail on the head, uses the xiě reading.
Characters built with 血
Words with 血
- 血压xuèyāblood pressureHSK 6
- 血型xuèxíngblood groupHSK 6
- 血液xuèyèbloodHSK 6
- 血管xuèguǎnveinHSK 6
- 一针见血yìzhēn-jiànxiěliterally to draw blood on the first prickHSK 8
- 心血xīnxuèheart's bloodHSK 8
- 流血liúxuèto bleedHSK 9
- 血缘xuèyuánbloodlineHSK 9
- 血脉xuèmàiblood vesselsHSK 9
- 输血shūxuèto transfuse bloodHSK 9
- 高血压gāoxuèyāhigh blood pressureHSK 9
- 鲜血xiānxuèbloodHSK 9
Example sentences
- 他的鼻子流血了。 Tā de bízi liúxuè le.His nose is bleeding.