血

The Chinese character 血 (xuè) for "blood" is a pictograph that depicts a drop of blood. The character is composed of two parts: the radical 氵(shuǐ), which represents water, and the phonetic component 血 (xuè), which represents the sound of the character. The character 血 is first seen in oracle bone script, the earliest form of Chinese writing, dating back to the Shang dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BC). In oracle bone script, the character 血 is depicted as a drop of blood dripping from a wound. The character has evolved over time, but it has retained its basic pictographic form.The character 血 is used in a variety of words and phrases related to blood, such as 血液 (xuèyè, "blood"), 流血 (liúxuè, "to bleed"), and 献血 (xiànxuè, "to donate blood"). The character is also used in some idioms and proverbs, such as 一滴血 (yīdīxuè, "a drop of blood"), which means "a very small amount," and 血浓于水 (xuè nóng yú shuǐ, "blood is thicker than water"), which means "family ties are stronger than other relationships."The character 血 is a common character in Chinese, and it is important for HSK learners to understand its meaning and usage.