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献血 (xiàn xuè) — to donate blood

Definition

A formal verb meaning 'to donate blood', used for voluntary or organized blood donation. 献 emphasizes offering something for the public good, so it is not used for medical blood transfusion (输血).

verb
to donate blood

Examples

  • 献血。
    Tā měi nián dōu qù xiàn xuè.
    He goes to donate blood every year.
  • 。
    Wǒ shàng ge yuè xiàn guò yí cì xuè.
    I donated blood once last month.
  • 献血。
    Yī shēng jiàn yì jiàn kāng de nián qīng rén duō xiàn xuè.
    Doctors recommend that healthy young people donate blood more often.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

献xiànoffer/give
血xuèblood

献 means to offer or give, and 血 is blood; together they describe offering blood.

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 獻; 献 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犬犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
鬳
鬳yàn獻xiàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 獻 combines 鬳, which gives the sound, with 犬, a dog. The simplified 献 is a later shorthand.

Open 献 →

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
Medicine & Treatment

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