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鲜血 (xiān xuè) — fresh blood, (literary) blood (used in heroic or tragic contexts)

Definition

Literary, dramatic word for 'blood' — used in heroic, tragic, or vivid writing, not daily speech. 血 (xiě) is the everyday spoken word; 血液 is a technical/medical term.

noun
fresh blood(literary) blood (used in heroic or tragic contexts)

Examples

  • 鲜血。
    Liè shì de xiān xuè rǎn hóng le zhè piàn tǔ dì.
    The martyrs' blood dyed this land red.
  • 鲜血，。
    Tā shòu shāng hòu liú le hěn duō xiān xuè, dàn yī rán jiān chí zhàn dòu.
    He bled a lot after being wounded, but still kept fighting.
  • 鲜血。
    Zhè bù xiǎo shuō shì yòng xiān xuè hé lèi shuǐ xiě chéng de.
    This novel was written with blood and tears.

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.

鲜xiānfresh
血xuèblood

Fresh blood refers to blood, often in literary heroic or tragic contexts.

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 鮮; 鲜 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
魚魚yúfish
Sound part声符shēngfú
羴
羴shān鮮xiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 鮮 pairs 魚 (fish) with 羴, which gives the sound; this note is about 鮮, not 鲜.

Open 鲜 →

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 7-9Organs & Anatomy

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