How to Write 血 (xiě/xuè) — Meaning “Blood”

Imagine a small bowl (the bottom part 皿) with a drop of blood (the top stroke 丿) falling into it. The overall shape looks like a person (丿) leaning over a dish, which can remind you of blood being collected.

Write 血 with 6 strokes: first the top left drop (丿), then a left vertical, then a horizontal top, then another left vertical, then the bottom horizontal, and finally the bottom right vertical. A common mistake is making the bottom part too wide or forgetting to close the right side — keep the left and right verticals straight and parallel.

血液 (xuè yè) means 'blood' as a substance, used in medical or biological contexts. 流血 (liú xiě) means 'to bleed' and is used for injuries. 血管 (xuè guǎn) means 'blood vessel'. These words are common in everyday health discussions or when describing accidents.

血 is used in both literal and figurative senses, such as 心血 (xīn xuè, heart's blood) meaning 'painstaking effort'. In Chinese culture, blood is often associated with family ties, as in 血缘 (xuè yuán, blood relation). Note that 血 has two pronunciations: xiě (colloquial) and xuè (formal), but both mean the same thing.

Common words containing 血 include: 血液 (xuè yè) — Blood; 血管 (xuè guǎn) — Blood vessel; 流血 (liú xiě) — bleed.