yuxue: 瘀血 - Bruise, Blood Stasis

• Keywords: yuxue, 瘀血, yuxue meaning, blood stasis, bruise in Chinese, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), stagnation, what is blood stasis, Chinese medicine diagnosis, 活血化瘀, huó xuè huà yū, Chinese health concepts.
• Summary: 瘀血 (yūxuè) is a fundamental Chinese term with a dual meaning. On the surface, it means a common bruise, the purple mark from an injury. However, its deeper and more significant meaning comes from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), where “yuxue” describes a condition of “blood stasis” or “blood stagnation.” This concept, crucial to Chinese health philosophy, refers to poor blood circulation that can cause pain, illness, and various internal disorders. Understanding yuxue is key to grasping the Chinese approach to health, wellness, and treatment.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): yūxuè
• Part of Speech: Noun
• HSK Level: N/A
• Concise Definition: A bruise; (in Traditional Chinese Medicine) blood stasis or stagnant blood.
• In a Nutshell: Imagine your circulatory system is a network of rivers. A simple bruise is like a small, visible logjam on a tributary. This is the first meaning of `瘀血`. But in Chinese medicine, `瘀血` can also describe a much larger, invisible “traffic jam” in the main river channels of your body. This “blood stasis” is a core concept, an internal state where blood isn't flowing smoothly, believed to be the root cause of many health problems, from chronic pain to serious illness.

• 瘀 (yū): This character is a combination of the “sickness” radical `疒` and a phonetic component `於`. The sickness radical `疒` is found in many characters related to illness and disease. Therefore, `瘀` inherently means a sickness or problem related to blockage, stagnation, or being stuck.
• 血 (xuè): This is the character for “blood.” It's a pictogram that originally depicted a drop of blood in a sacrificial vessel (皿).
• Combined Meaning: Together, `瘀血` literally translates to “stagnant blood” or “blocked blood.” This perfectly captures both the visible, physical manifestation of a bruise and the invisible, systemic condition of blood stasis in TCM.

The concept of `瘀血` reveals a core principle of Chinese philosophy and medicine: the vital importance of flow (通, tōng). In traditional Chinese thought, health is synonymous with the smooth, unimpeded flow of vital substances like Qi (气) and Blood (血). When this flow is obstructed, it leads to stagnation, which is the root of pain and disease. The famous TCM maxim says it all: 通则不痛, 痛则不通 (tōng zé bù tòng, tòng zé bù tōng) — “If there is free flow, there is no pain; if there is pain, there is no free flow.” This contrasts sharply with the Western view. In the West, a bruise is a minor, localized trauma—leaked blood from broken capillaries that the body cleans up. A blood clot is a serious, specific physical blockage. `瘀血`, however, is a much broader pattern of disharmony. It's a functional diagnosis, not just a physical object. A TCM doctor might diagnose you with `瘀血` based on a collection of symptoms like having a darkish complexion, purple lips, a dark tongue with spots, varicose veins, and experiencing fixed, stabbing pains (like some types of menstrual cramps or headaches). Therefore, while a Western doctor looks for a physical clot with an MRI or CT scan, a TCM practitioner identifies the condition of `瘀血` through observation and questioning, seeing it as a systemic imbalance that needs to be corrected by promoting circulation. This holistic view of the body as an interconnected system of flows is central to understanding Chinese wellness culture.

`瘀血` is a common term used in both everyday life and medical contexts.

• As “Bruise”: In daily conversation, it's the standard word for a bruise. You'll hear it used after someone bumps into something or has a minor fall. It's a completely neutral, descriptive term in this context.
• In Traditional Chinese Medicine: This is where the term carries more weight. A TCM doctor's diagnosis of `瘀血` is a serious explanation for a patient's symptoms. This diagnosis leads to a specific treatment principle: 活血化瘀 (huóxuè huàyū), which means “to invigorate the blood and transform stasis.” This is a cornerstone of TCM therapy, and patients will often talk about eating certain foods (like ginger, turmeric, or hawthorn) or getting treatments like acupuncture or cupping (拔罐, báguàn) to “break up their `瘀血`.”

• Example 1:
  • 我昨天摔了一跤，腿上有一大块瘀血。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ zuótiān shuāi le yī jiāo, tuǐ shàng yǒu yī dà kuài yūxuè.
  • English: I took a fall yesterday, and now there's a big bruise on my leg.
  • Analysis: This is the most common, literal use of `瘀血` to mean a physical bruise from an injury.
• Example 2:
  • 中医说我的头痛是瘀血引起的。
  • Pinyin: Zhōngyī shuō wǒ de tóutòng shì yūxuè yǐnqǐ de.
  • English: The Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor said my headaches are caused by blood stasis.
  • Analysis: This sentence perfectly illustrates the TCM usage, linking a symptom (headache) to the underlying diagnosis of `瘀血`.
• Example 3:
  • 你需要吃点药来活血化瘀。
  • Pinyin: Nǐ xūyào chī diǎn yào lái huóxuè huàyū.
  • English: You need to take some medicine to invigorate blood circulation and resolve the stasis.
  • Analysis: Note the common abbreviation to just `瘀 (yū)`. This sentence shows the direct link between the diagnosis (`瘀血`) and the treatment principle (`活血化瘀`).
• Example 4:
  • 拔罐后背上留下的深色印子就是瘀血。
  • Pinyin: Báguàn hòu bèi shàng liú xià de shēnsè yìnzi jiùshì yūxuè.
  • English: The dark marks left on the back after cupping therapy are stagnant blood (bruises).
  • Analysis: This connects `瘀血` to a popular TCM therapy, `拔罐 (báguàn)`. In TCM, these marks are seen as pathogenic factors being drawn to the surface.
• Example 5:
  • 她的脸色有点暗，可能是体内有瘀血。
  • Pinyin: Tā de liǎnsè yǒudiǎn àn, kěnéng shì tǐnèi yǒu yūxuè.
  • English: Her complexion is a bit dark; perhaps she has internal blood stasis.
  • Analysis: This shows how `瘀血` is diagnosed through external observation, a key method in TCM.
• Example 6:
  • 这块瘀血什么时候才能消掉啊？
  • Pinyin: Zhè kuài yūxuè shénme shíhòu cái néng xiāo diào a?
  • English: When will this bruise finally disappear?
  • Analysis: A very common, everyday question. `消掉 (xiāo diào)` means to disappear or fade away.
• Example 7:
  • 医生，我月经时的小腹刺痛和瘀血有关吗？
  • Pinyin: Yīshēng, wǒ yuèjīng shí de xiǎofù cìtòng hé yūxuè yǒuguān ma?
  • English: Doctor, is the stabbing pain in my lower abdomen during my period related to blood stasis?
  • Analysis: Painful menstruation is one of the most common conditions attributed to `瘀血` in TCM gynecology.
• Example 8:
  • 长期坐着不动，容易导致气滞瘀血。
  • Pinyin: Chángqī zuòzhe bù dòng, róngyì dǎozhì qìzhì yūxuè.
  • English: Sitting still for long periods can easily lead to Qi stagnation and blood stasis.
  • Analysis: This sentence introduces the closely related concept of `气滞 (qìzhì)`, or Qi stagnation, which is often seen as the precursor to `瘀血`.
• Example 9:
  • 按摩可以帮助消散瘀血，促进血液循环。
  • Pinyin: Ànmó kěyǐ bāngzhù xiāosàn yūxuè, cùjìn xuèyè xúnhuán.
  • English: Massage can help disperse bruises and promote blood circulation.
  • Analysis: This highlights a common, non-medicinal approach to dealing with both literal bruises and the feeling of stagnation.
• Example 10:
  • 这种药膏专门用于治疗跌打损伤和瘀血肿痛。
  • Pinyin: Zhè zhǒng yàogāo zhuānmén yòngyú zhìliáo diēdǎ sǔnshāng hé yūxuè zhǒngtòng.
  • English: This medicinal ointment is specifically used to treat injuries from falls and blows, as well as the swelling and pain from bruising/stasis.
  • Analysis: `跌打损伤 (diēdǎ sǔnshāng)` is a classic term for traumatic injuries, which are the primary cause of literal `瘀血`.

• Mistake 1: Assuming it's ONLY a bruise. The biggest pitfall for learners is to equate `瘀血` only with the English word “bruise.” A bruise on your arm is `瘀血`, but chronic headaches diagnosed as `瘀血` are not a “bruise” in the Western sense. Remember, `瘀血` is often an invisible, internal condition.
• False Friend: “Blood Clot” (血栓, xuèshuān). While a `血栓` is a severe physical form of `瘀血`, the terms are not interchangeable. `血栓 (xuèshuān)` is a specific, modern medical term for a thrombus, a life-threatening blockage confirmed by medical imaging. `瘀血 (yūxuè)` is a broad TCM functional diagnosis that covers everything from a minor bruise to the underlying pattern causing menstrual cramps. Using `瘀血` to describe a post-surgery DVT (deep vein thrombosis) would be imprecise; `血栓` is the correct term there.
• Incorrect Usage Example: Pointing at red, inflamed skin after scratching and saying, “你看，我有瘀血了.” (Nǐ kàn, wǒ yǒu yūxuè le.) This is incorrect. Simple redness is usually associated with “heat” (热, rè) or inflammation in TCM, not stagnation. `瘀血` implies a darker, purplish, or stagnant quality, not bright red inflammation.

• 活血化瘀 (huóxuè huàyū) - The primary treatment principle for `瘀血`, meaning “to invigorate blood and transform stasis.” It's an action, whereas `瘀血` is a state.
• 气滞 (qìzhì) - Qi Stagnation. In TCM, Qi moves the Blood. `气滞` is often the cause of `瘀血`.
• 血栓 (xuèshuān) - Blood Clot. A specific, modern medical term for a thrombus. It is a severe, physical manifestation that falls under the broad TCM category of `瘀血`.
• 拔罐 (báguàn) - Cupping Therapy. A TCM therapy that uses suction cups on the skin, often to treat `瘀血` by drawing stagnant blood to the surface.
• 刮痧 (guāshā) - Scraping Therapy (Gua Sha). A folk medicine technique using a smooth-edged tool to scrape the skin to release stagnation and create therapeutic petechiae (which look like `瘀血`).
• 气血 (qìxuè) - Qi and Blood. The two fundamental vital substances in TCM. The health of `气血` determines a person's overall vitality.
• 通则不痛, 痛则不通 (tōng zé bù tòng, tòng zé bù tōng) - “Free flow, no pain; no flow, pain.” The essential proverb explaining the philosophy behind `瘀血` and pain.