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血洗 (xuè xǐ) — (noun) bloody slaughter; bloodbath; (verb) to massacre; to slaughter (figurative)

Definition

A vivid compound meaning 'bloody purge / to wipe out in blood', used for mass killing (in war) and figuratively for overwhelming defeat (e.g. a sports team that 'wipes out' the opposition).

noun
bloody slaughterbloodbath
verb
to massacreto slaughter (figurative)
Measure word · 场

Examples

  • 血洗。
    Nà cì zhàn zhēng zhōng de xuè xǐ fēi cháng kǒng bù.
    The bloody slaughter in that war was very terrifying.
  • 血洗。
    Qīn lüè zhě xuè xǐ le zhěng gè cūn zhuāng.
    The invaders massacred the entire village.
  • 血洗。
    Zhè chǎng xuè xǐ zhèn jīng le shì jiè.
    This bloodbath shocked the world.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

血xuèblood
洗xǐwash

血 (blood) and 洗 (wash) form the image of washing in blood, a massacre.

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 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
先
先xiān洗xǐ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

洗 is built from 水 (water) and 先, which gives the character its sound.

Open 洗 →
Appears in
Crime & PoliceMilitary & Defense

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