血本 (xuè běn) — hard-earned capital; life savings (esp. what one puts into a business or risky venture)
Definition
Literally 'blood capital' — the money someone worked hard to earn, now risked in a business or investment. Almost always appears in fixed phrases like 血本无归 (lose everything) or 下血本 (invest heavily).
noun
hard-earned capitallife savings (esp. what one puts into a business or risky venture)
Examples
- 血本。Tā bǎ suǒ yǒu xuè běn dōu tóu jìn le zhè jiā diàn.He put all his hard-earned capital into this shop.
- ,血本。Zhè cì shēng yì shī bài, tā de xuè běn quán dōu kuī guāng le.This business failed, and he lost all his hard-earned capital.
- ,血本。Wèi le zhè ge xiàng mù, wǒ zhǐ hǎo xià xuè běn tóu zī.For this project, I had to dig deep into my savings and invest heavily.
Appears in
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