TongTong
Sign in

有血有肉 (yǒu xuè yǒu ròu) — vivid, lifelike, realistic (of characters or descriptions)

Definition

Idiom for characters or writing that feel vivid and lifelike — not flat or generic. Praises depth and emotional realism in portrayal.

idiom
vividlifelikerealistic (of characters or descriptions)

Examples

  • 有血有肉，。
    Zhè bù xiǎo shuō lǐ de měi gè rén dōu xiě dé yǒu xuè yǒu ròu, fēi cháng zhēn shí.
    Every character in this novel is written vividly, very realistic.
  • 有血有肉，。
    Dǎo yǎn bǎ zhè ge rén wù yǎn dé yǒu xuè yǒu ròu, guān zhòng dōu gǎn dòng le.
    The director portrayed this character so vividly that the audience was moved.
  • 有血有肉，。
    Zhè wèi zuò jiā de wén zì yǒu xuè yǒu ròu, dú qǐ lái xiàng qīn shēn jīng lì yí yàng.
    This writer's words are so vivid that reading them feels like a first-hand experience.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

有血has blood
有yǒuhave血xuèblood
动宾Verb + object
有肉has flesh
有yǒuhave肉ròuflesh
动宾Verb + object

有血 and 有肉 both picture having blood and flesh, suggesting a lifelike person.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
肉肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
又
又yòu有yǒu
Same sound today

The form 有 combines 又, used for its sound, with a shape from 肉, 'meat'; the hand-holding-meat story is a folk explanation, not shown in the oldest shape.

Open 有 →

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
肉肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
又
又yòu有yǒu
Same sound today

The form 有 combines 又, used for its sound, with a shape from 肉, 'meat'; the hand-holding-meat story is a folk explanation, not shown in the oldest shape.

Open 有 →

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

The original shape of 肉 showed ribs of an animal’s torso, or simply a slice of meat.

Open 肉 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.