心血 xīnxuè heart's blood
heart's blood; expenditure (for some project); meticulous care
How to remember 心血: 心 heart + 血 blood = heart's blood.
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How it is used
- The painstaking effort and care poured into something - 这本书是他一生的心血 (zhè běn shū shì tā yìshēng de xīnxuè) this book is his life's work of devotion.
- Emphasizes exhausting, meticulous labor of love; 花费心血 / 呕心沥血 (pour out heart's blood).
- Also the impulsive 心血来潮 (act on a sudden whim), a separate fixed phrase.