血本无归 (xuè běn wú guī) — to lose all one's investment; to have no return on one's hard-earned capital

Definition

A chengyu meaning to lose every penny of invested capital, usually after a failed business or speculation. Carries a strong sense of total ruin, stronger than 亏本 (which can mean a smaller loss).

idiom
to lose all one's investmentto have no return on one's hard-earned capital

Examples

  • 血本无归，。
    Zhè cì chuàng yè shī bài ràng tā xuè běn wú guī, duō nián de jī xù quán méi le.
    This failed business venture made him lose all his investment, and his years of savings were all gone.
  • ，血本无归，。
    Tā máng mù chǎo gǔ, jié guǒ xuè běn wú guī, lián fáng zi dōu mài diào le.
    He blindly speculated in stocks and ended up losing all his capital, even selling his house.
  • ，血本无归。
    Tóu zī zhè ge xiàng mù yào xiǎo xīn, qiān wàn bié gǎo dào xuè běn wú guī de dì bù.
    Investing in this project requires caution; don't ever end up in a situation where you lose everything.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

血本blood capital
血xuèblood本běncapital
偏正Modifier + head
无归no return
无wúhave no归guīreturn
动宾Verb + object

血本 (blood capital) and 无归 (no return) say hard-earned capital has no return.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 一一yīdrop of blood
  • 皿皿mǐncontainer

The shape shows 一, a drop of blood, inside 皿, a container, for blood held in a sacrificial vessel.

Open 血 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

本 adds a stroke at the bottom of a tree shape to mark the roots, giving the sense of foundation or original.

Open 本 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Open 无 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 歸; 归 is its simplified writing.

  • 𠂤𠂤𠂤ancient form of {{zh-l|*師|troops}}
  • 帚帚zhǒubroom; sweep

The traditional form 歸 combines 𠂤 (troops) and 帚 (broom; sweep) to show sweeping away an enemy and returning; the simplified 归 is a later abbreviation.

Open 归 →

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