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输血 (shū xuè) — (medical) to transfuse blood; (figurative) to provide aid and support (especially financial or organizational)

Definition

Literally 'to transfuse blood', but widely used figuratively to mean 'to inject support/relief' — money, resources, or personnel sent to help a struggling person, team, or organization.

verb
(medical) to transfuse blood(figurative) to provide aid and support (especially financial or organizational)

Examples

  • 输血。
    Yī shēng zhèng zài gěi bìng rén shū xuè.
    The doctor is giving the patient a blood transfusion.
  • 输血，。
    Zhèng fǔ xiàng zhōng xiǎo qǐ yè shū xuè, bāng zhù tā men dù guò nán guān.
    The government provides financial support to small and medium enterprises to help them get through difficulties.
  • 输血。
    Zhè cì shū xuè duì qiú duì dī shì qì yǒu hěn dà tí shēng.
    This injection of support greatly boosted the team's morale.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

输shūtransport
血xuèblood

输 means to transport and 血 means blood, describing moving blood into someone.

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 輸; 输 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
車車jū
Sound part声符shēngfú
俞
俞yú輸shū
Same sound today

The traditional form 輸 pairs 車 (vehicle) with 俞 for sound; 車 shows the meaning.

Open 输 →

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 7-9Medicine & Treatment

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