输血

• Pinyin: shū xuè
• Hanzi breakdown: 输 = 车 + 俞 (carriage + hollow passage — to transport); 血 = 皿 + 一 (vessel + drop — blood)

Meaning

Blood transfusion; to transfuse blood. Figuratively: to inject emergency capital or resources into a struggling entity.

Medical literal use: transfusing blood to treat trauma, anaemia, or surgery patients. Figurative use is very common in economic and political discourse: government 输血 to loss-making enterprises or impoverished regions implies emergency, corrective funding rather than healthy investment.

Examples

1. 急救人员在评估伤者失血状况后，立即启动紧急输血程序，并同步协调区域血液中心调配与伤者血型相匹配的红细胞、血小板及血浆制品。 After assessing the victim’s blood loss, paramedics immediately initiated an emergency transfusion protocol and simultaneously coordinated with the regional blood center to supply red cells, platelets, and plasma products that matched the victim’s blood type.
2. 长期财政输血不是根治之策，关键是培育当地自我造血的产业。 Long-term financial “transfusions” aren’t a cure; the key is developing local industries that can generate their own revenue.
3. 在慢性溶血性贫血的治疗方案中，定期输血只是控制症状的临时措施，干细胞移植才是目前医学界公认的唯一有望根治该类疾病的手段。 In treating chronic hemolytic anemia, regular blood transfusions are only a temporary measure to control symptoms; stem cell transplantation is currently the only approach widely recognized in medicine as offering a chance to cure this type of disease.

Usage Guide

Context: medicine, economics, politics, finance

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 政府对国有亏损企业持续输血的做法引发了市场对资源配置效率和公平竞争环境的广泛质疑，改革者呼吁以市场化重组取代无限期的行政补贴。(The government's practice of continuously transfusing funds into loss-making state-owned enterprises has raised widespread concerns in the market about resource allocation efficiency and a level playing field; reformers are calling for market-based restructuring to replace indefinite administrative subsidies.)
• 围手术期血液管理已从单靠输血转向多模式保护，风险也明显降低。(Perioperative blood management has shifted from relying only on transfusion to multimodal protection, and the risks have dropped significantly.)

Don't Say

• 输血 to describe general financial support or investment in a healthy business — use 注资 (to inject capital) or 投资 (to invest) instead; 输血 specifically implies emergency or corrective funding for something that is failing or deficient, and misuse can carry unintended negative connotations about the recipient's financial health

Origin & History

输 (to transport; to convey — 车 carriage + 俞 hollow passage) + 血 (blood — 皿 vessel + a drop)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal