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血脉 (xuè mài) — blood vessels (anatomical); bloodline, lineage, blood ties (figurative)

Definition

Literally 'blood vessels' (血管) but 血脉 is used figuratively for bloodline or lineage — that sense is closer to 血缘. 脉络 is a more literary, abstract word for the underlying structure of something.

noun
blood vessels (anatomical)bloodlinelineageblood ties (figurative)
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 血脉，。
    Yī shēng jiǎn chá le tā de xuè mài, fā xiàn yí qiè zhèng cháng.
    The doctor examined his blood vessels and found everything normal.
  • ，血脉，。
    Wǒ men suī rán fēn jū liǎng dì, dàn xuè mài xiāng lián, yǒng yuǎn shì yì jiā rén.
    Although we live apart, we are connected by blood and will always be family.
  • 血脉。
    Zhè ge jiā zú xuè mài zhōng liú tǎng zhe yì shù jiā de jī yīn.
    This family has the genes of an artist flowing in its bloodline.

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
脉màivessel

血 (blood) and 脉 (vessel) combine to mean blood vessels or bloodline.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 脈; 脉 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺼Written in full as肉ròuflesh
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠂢
𠂢𠂢脈mài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 脈 pairs ⺼ (flesh) with a sound part, 𠂢; the simplified 脉 is a shorthand, so its right side is not the historical sound part.

Open 脉 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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