Meaning of 血管
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- vein
- artery
Measure word: 根
How to use 血管
血管 is the general word for any blood vessel, so it covers both veins and arteries. It appears in health, medical and everyday talk, often with words like 血液 (xuèyè, blood). Example: 运动对血管有好处。 (Yùndòng duì xuèguǎn yǒu hǎochù.) Exercise is good for your blood vessels.
血管 combines 血 (xuè, blood) and 管 (guǎn, tube or pipe). A blood vessel is simply a blood tube, the same 管 you see in 吸管 (xīguǎn), a drinking straw.
Common mistake: Learners often read 血 as xiě. That reading appears in casual spoken words like 流血了 (liú xiě le), but in the formal compound 血管 it is xuè. Also, 血 has one short stroke on top. Do not confuse it with 皿 (mǐn, dish), which has no top stroke.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
血 xiě · blood · 6 strokes
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管 guǎn · to take care · 14 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 血管.
| 管理 | guǎnlǐ | to supervise; to manage |
| 不管 | bùguǎn | not to be concerned; regardless of |
| 吸管 | xīguǎn | (drinking) straw; pipette |
| 尽管 | jǐnguǎn | despite; although |
| 主管 | zhǔguǎn | in charge; responsible for |
| 血液 | xuèyè | blood; (fig.) lifeblood |
| 只管 | zhǐguǎn | solely engrossed in one thing; just (one thing, no need to worry about the rest) |
| 管道 | guǎndào | tubing; pipeline |
| 看管 | kānguǎn | to look after |
| 流血 | liúxuè | to bleed; to shed blood |
| 保管 | bǎoguǎn | to hold in safekeeping; to have in one's care; to guarantee |
| 鲜血 | xiānxuè | blood |
Questions about 血管
What does 血管 mean?
血管 (xuèguǎn) means "vein; artery" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 血管?
血管 is made of 2 characters: 血 (6 strokes), 管 (14 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.
Is 血管 an HSK word?
Yes. 血管 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say vein and artery separately in Chinese?
A vein is 静脉 (jìngmài) and an artery is 动脉 (dòngmài). 血管 is the umbrella term for both, so use the specific words when the difference matters, such as in a doctor's office.
Can 血管 be used figuratively, like lifeblood?
Not usually. 血管 mostly stays literal. For figurative ideas like a vital artery of trade, Chinese tends to use 命脉 (mìngmài) or 动脉 (dòngmài), for example 交通动脉 (jiāotōng dòngmài), a main traffic artery.