心血

• Pinyin: xīn xuè
• Hanzi breakdown: 心 = heart (pictograph); 血 = vessel filled with blood (pictograph)

Meaning

Painstaking effort; one's lifeblood poured into something. Energy and care invested with great dedication.

Used to describe the enormous effort invested in a project, artwork, or career. Conveys that something is not just labour but the vital essence of the creator.

Examples

1. 这本词典凝聚了编委会成员十年的心血。 This dictionary represents ten years of painstaking work by the editorial committee.
2. 她把全部心血倾注在这部交响乐的创作上。 She poured all her heart and soul into composing this symphony.
3. 多年的心血付诸东流，他不禁感到万分痛惜。 Years of hard work went down the drain, and he couldn’t help but feel deeply regretful.

Usage Guide

Context: arts, research, work, personal dedication

Tone: earnest

Do Say

• 这座博物馆是几代建筑师共同倾注心血的成果，承载了无数人对文化传承的深厚情感。(This museum is the result of the painstaking effort of generations of architects and carries the profound sentiments of countless people toward cultural heritage.)
• 看着亲手栽培多年的企业因外部冲击而陷入困境，他心中那种痛惜无异于眼睁睁看着心血付诸流水。(Watching the company he had nurtured with painstaking effort for years fall into crisis, the grief in his heart was no different from watching his life's work drain away.)

Don't Say

• 我心血很多 — 心血 is used in 倾注心血 or 耗尽心血 constructions; say 我付出了大量心血 instead

Origin & History

心 (heart) + 血 (blood) — the heart's blood; the vital essence one gives to a task

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal