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血汗钱 (xuè hàn qián) — money earned through hard work; hard-earned money

Definition

Literally 'blood-and-sweat money' — money earned through exhausting, often prolonged physical labor. Carries an emotional weight (years of sacrifice) that plain 钱 does not.

noun
money earned through hard workhard-earned money
Measure word · 分

Examples

  • 血汗钱，。
    Zhè shì tā zhèng de xuè hàn qián, bù néng làng fèi.
    This is money he earned through hard work; it cannot be wasted.
  • 。
    Fù qīn yòng xuè hàn qián gòng hái zi men shàng xué.
    Father used hard-earned money to support the children's education.
  • 血汗钱。
    Zhè xiē xuè hàn qián yì fēn dōu bù néng luàn huā.
    Not a single cent of this hard-earned money can be spent recklessly.

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.

血汗blood and sweat
血xuèblood汗hànsweat
联合Coordinate
钱qiánmoney

'血' and '汗' together evoke blood and sweat from toil, and '钱' names money.

Characters in this word

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shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
干
干gān汗hàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

汗 has 水, the water form, beside 干; 水 relates to liquid sweat, while 干 gives the sound.

Open 汗 →

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 錢; 钱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal; gold; money
Sound part声符shēngfú
戔
戔jiān錢qián
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 錢 combines 金, meaning metal or money, with 戔, which gives the sound; the simplified 钱 is a later shorthand.

Open 钱 →
Appears in
Money & Currency

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