Definition
吐血 is a separable verb (离合词) literally meaning 'to spit blood', but in everyday colloquial Chinese it is far more common as a figurative exclamation of extreme frustration, difficulty, or annoyance — similar to 'it's killing me!' or 'I'm so fed up!'. The verb 吐 can be separated from 血 with a complement or measure word (e.g. 吐了一口血). As a noun, it refers to the medical condition of spitting blood.
v.o./n.
(verb, separable) to spit blood (literal)(colloquial, figurative) to be extremely frustratedto have a terrible timeto be fed up
noun
spitting blood (medical condition)
Examples
- ，。Tā ké de lìhai, tǔ le hǎo jǐ kǒu xiě.He coughed badly and spat several mouthfuls of blood.
- ，吐血。Zhège xiàngmù tài nán le, wǒ kuài tǔ le.This project is too hard — it's killing me!
- 吐血。tǔ shì yì zhǒng xūyào jíshí zhìliáo de bìngzhèng.Spitting blood is a condition that requires timely treatment.
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