脉搏

• Pinyin: mài bó
• Hanzi breakdown: 脉 = 月 (flesh radical) + 永 (flowing water); 搏 = 扌 (hand) + 尃 (spread out, phonetic)

Meaning

Pulse; heartbeat. The rhythmic throbbing felt in arteries as the heart beats. Also used figuratively for the rhythm or vitality of something.

In medicine, 脉搏 refers to the pulse measured at the wrist or other pulse points. Figuratively it expresses the living rhythm or heartbeat of society, culture, or the times — e.g. 时代的脉搏 (the pulse of the era).

Examples

1. 急救人员到达后立即检查伤者的脉搏和呼吸，判断其生命体征是否稳定。 After arriving, the emergency responders immediately checked the injured person’s pulse and breathing to determine whether their vital signs were stable.
2. 一名优秀的记者必须时刻感受社会的脉搏，才能报道出真正触动人心的新闻。 An excellent journalist must always keep a finger on society’s pulse in order to report stories that truly move people.
3. 老中医仅凭三根手指轻搭患者手腕便能感受脉搏的细微变化，判断病情。 With just three fingers lightly placed on the patient’s wrist, the experienced Chinese physician could sense subtle changes in the pulse and assess the condition.

Usage Guide

Context: medicine, journalism, figurative

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 医生触诊后说他的脉搏有力，身体恢复得很好。(The doctor said after examination that his pulse was strong and his recovery was going well.)
• 作为企业领导者，要时刻把握市场的脉搏，快速作出调整。(As a business leader, one must always grasp the pulse of the market and make quick adjustments.)

Don't Say

• 把'脉搏'用来指心跳的声音 — 应说'心跳声'或'心音'，脉搏指节律感而非声音 (Don't use 脉搏 to mean the sound of a heartbeat — use 心跳声 or 心音; 脉搏 refers to the rhythm, not the sound)

Origin & History

脉 (blood vessel, pulse) + 搏 (beat, strike). Together denoting the beating rhythm of the blood vessels.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal