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心血 (xīn xuè) — (figurative) painstaking effort; hard work and dedication; the emotional and creative investment in something

Definition

心血 means the 'heart's blood' poured into something — time, emotion, and creative effort, not money. Unlike the financial terms 费用/支出/开支/经费, it cannot be spent in yuan; it pairs with 花费/付出/凝聚, and overlaps with 苦心 but emphasizes heartfelt devotion.

noun
(figurative) painstaking efforthard work and dedicationthe emotional and creative investment in something

Examples

  • 心血。
    Zhè piān xiǎo shuō huā fèi le zuò jiā shí nián de xīn xuè.
    This novel cost the writer ten years of painstaking effort.
  • 心血，。
    Fù mǔ yǎng yù hái zi suǒ fù chū de xīn xuè, shì wú fǎ gū liang de.
    The dedication parents put into raising their children is immeasurable.
  • 。
    Zhè ge xiàng mù níng jù le quán tuán duì de xīn xuè.
    This project embodies the painstaking effort of the whole team.

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.

心xīnheart
血xuèblood

The '心' and '血' image turns inner lifeblood into painstaking effort and care.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 心 comes from a drawing of a heart, now highly stylized.

Open 心 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Abstract Concepts

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