动脉

• Pinyin: dòng mài
• Hanzi breakdown: 动 = 云 + 力 (to move — blood moves outward in arteries); 脉 = 月 + 永 (blood vessel — flesh radical + flowing)

Meaning

Artery; a blood vessel that carries oxygenated blood away from the heart. Figuratively, a main channel or vital route in transportation, logistics, or communication.

In medical contexts refers literally to arteries (as opposed to 静脉, veins). The figurative usage is equally common — a key highway, railway, or waterway may be called a 交通动脉 (transportation artery). Blockage in either sense is critical and urgent.

Examples

1. 主动脉是人体最粗大的动脉，一旦破裂将危及生命。 The aorta is the body’s largest artery, and if it ruptures, it can be life-threatening.
2. 这条高速公路是连接南北两城的交通动脉，改造期间须做好分流安排。 This expressway is the main transportation artery connecting the two cities north and south; traffic diversion plans must be made during the renovation.
3. 医生建议他定期检测动脉硬化指标，以便及早进行干预治疗。 The doctor recommended that he regularly monitor indicators of arterial hardening so intervention can begin early.

Usage Guide

Context: medicine, anatomy, infrastructure, transportation

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 冠状动脉堵塞是引发心肌梗死的主要原因之一，患者须尽早就医接受治疗。(Coronary artery blockage is one of the leading causes of myocardial infarction; patients must seek medical treatment as early as possible.)
• 这条铁路干线被称为区域经济发展的大动脉，其畅通运营对整个地区至关重要。(This trunk railway line is called the major artery of regional economic development, and its smooth operation is of vital importance to the entire region.)

Don't Say

• 动脉和静脉是一样的 — 动脉 carries oxygenated blood away from the heart under high pressure; 静脉 carries deoxygenated blood back under low pressure; they are structurally and functionally distinct

Origin & History

动 (to move/pulse) + 脉 (vessel/pulse) — the vessel through which blood pulses in motion

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal