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头破血流 (tóu pò xuè liú) — to be badly beaten (physically or in a conflict); to suffer a crushing defeat

Definition

A vivid idiom meaning 'battered and bleeding' — used for both physical beatings and devastating defeats in arguments or competition. Note the doubled structure 头破…血流 ('head broken…blood flowing') that mirrors its imagery.

idiom
to be badly beaten (physically or in a conflict)to suffer a crushing defeat

Examples

  • 头破血流。
    Liǎng duì wèi le guàn jūn zhēng dé tóu pò xuè liú.
    The two teams fought fiercely for the championship.
  • 头破血流。
    Tā zài nà chǎng biàn lùn zhōng bèi duì shǒu bó dé tóu pò xuè liú.
    He was refuted so badly in that debate that it felt like a crushing defeat.
  • 头破血流。
    Fàn zuì fèn zǐ bèi jǐng chá dǎ dé tóu pò xuè liú.
    The criminal was beaten to a pulp by the police.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

头破head broken
头tóuhead破pòbroken
主谓Subject + predicate
血流blood flows
血xuèblood流liúflow
主谓Subject + predicate

head broken and blood flowing combine as two vivid images of severe injury.

Characters in this word

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 頭; 头 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
豆
豆dòu頭tóu
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 頭 shows 頁, meaning head, beside 豆 as a sound component; the simplified 头 is a later shorthand.

Open 头 →

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
石石shí
Sound part声符shēngfú
皮
皮pí破pò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

破 has 石 (stone) as its meaning part and 皮 as its sound part.

Open 破 →

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
㐬
㐬㐬流liú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

流 has 水, water, and 㐬, which gives the sound. The water part matches meanings such as flow.

Open 流 →
Appears in
Injury & DisabilityIdioms & Set Phrases

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