Meaning of 血
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- blood (CL:滴[di1])
- colloquial pr. [xie3] or [xue3]
How to use 血
血 has two readings. In compound words it is usually xuè, as in 血液 (xuèyè) and 血压 (xuèyā). When it stands alone in everyday speech people often say xiě. Example: 他的手流血了。(Tā de shǒu liú xiě le.) His hand is bleeding.
Picture 血 as a bowl 皿 with one small drop on top. Think of a single drop of blood falling into a dish.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 血 with 皿 (mǐn, dish). 血 has an extra short stroke on top. Another common slip is using xiě in formal compounds like 血管, which is normally xuèguǎn.
血 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
血 xiě · blood · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 血.
| 血液 | xuèyè | blood; (fig.) lifeblood |
| 血管 | xuèguǎn | vein; artery |
| 流血 | liúxuè | to bleed; to shed blood |
| 鲜血 | xiānxuè | blood |
| 出血 | chūxiě | to bleed; bleeding; (fig.) to spend money in large amounts |
| 血压 | xuèyā | blood pressure |
| 心血 | xīnxuè | heart's blood; expenditure (for some project) |
| 止血 | zhǐxuè | to staunch (bleeding); hemostatic (drug) |
| 血脉 | xuèmài | blood vessels |
| 输血 | shūxuè | to transfuse blood; to give aid and support |
| 高血压 | gāoxuèyā | high blood pressure; hypertension |
| 血缘 | xuèyuán | bloodline |
Questions about 血
What does 血 mean?
血 (xiě) means "blood (CL:滴[di1]); colloquial pr. [xie3] or [xue3]" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 血?
血 is made of 1 character: 血 (6 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.
Is 血 an HSK word?
Yes. 血 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
When should I say xuè and when should I say xiě?
Use xuè in most compound words and formal speech, such as 血管 (xuèguǎn) and 鲜血 (xiānxuè). Use xiě for 血 on its own in casual speech and in some set colloquial words like 出血 (chūxiě).
How do you say 'a drop of blood' in Chinese?
Use the measure word 滴 (dī): 一滴血 (yì dī xiě), a drop of blood. 滴 is the common measure word for drops of any liquid.