<p>Actually, such a problem even upsets native speakers, like me. When I was a student, I had to memorize the words for different pronunciatons too.</p>

<p>Unfortunately,there are some characters with two different pronunciations when used in colloquial language (白读) and literary language (文读), while different pronunciations basically mean the same. See the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literary_and_colloquial_readings_of_Chinese_characters" rel="noreferrer">article</a> in Wikipedia to learn more info about this special phenomenon (in my dialect, there is also such a phenomenon, but I really don't realize it because I have been used to these different pronunciations). 血 is a typical one.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>xiě <em>blood</em>. Generally used as a single word and used in oral speech(words with this are not literary, are coarse or vulgar).<br>
  xuè <em>blood</em> Generally used in a literary words.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Examples:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>xiě 血淋淋 (bloody,cruel), 血豆腐 (a kind of food looks like bean curd, but made of blood), 血糊糊 (bloody), 他流了很多血 (He bleeds too much)<br>
  xuè 止血 (to stop bleeding), 流血 (to bleed), 血腥 (bloody), 血型 (blood type).</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Some other characters with this problem would be:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>薄 báo, bó. <em>thin, with small thickness</em><br>
  báo is used in colloquial language and bó is used in literary language.<br>
  壳 ké, qiào <em>the shell</em><br>
  ké is used in colloquial language and qiào is used in literary language.<br></p>
</blockquote>

<p>Take it easy, you could consult the dictionary when you are not sure. If you want to speak Mandarin in a very formal way, you have to try to memorize the words for different pronunciations.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-05-16T11:11:06.040Z
That's a very interesting wiki-page. You should probably also refer to the Chinese version since there they mention the pinyin. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%96%87%E7%99%BD%E5%BC%82%E8%AF%BB
BertR
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-10T08:11:12.253Z
2012-09-13T16:02:57.077Z
2012-09-13T16:02:57.077Z
Huang
<p>To what I have been taught in schools or even chinese dictionaries I flipped...the only correct pronunciation for the word blood is Xiě.....while Xuè is represent Snow.</p>

<p>Hence it is depending on the individual on their level of acceptance and understanding of the language and/or words.</p>

<p>For myself, I will only stick to my foundation laid...that is blood is xiě and snow is xuè.</p>

<p>There is no grey area and to me, no justification of when where xuè is used in formal or informal.. spoken or written etc.</p>

<p>This is important as there is no grey area in languages especially for those trying to learn the language.</p>

<p>Just as an example : it couldn't be that we use "yes" as "no" in certain area or usage for English...can we?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-11T02:56:33.017Z
isn't snow actually xuě?
user102008
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-12-13T15:50:30.633Z
2015-12-13T15:55:32.760Z
2015-12-13T15:55:32.760Z
Lee Pier
<p>my teacher back in china always taught us that xue (4th tone) is more formal.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-11T01:26:15.053Z
Hi, welcome to this site. I think your answer could be with more stuff to attract other's attention and I believe you could. This answer is not a good one, because xiě really exists and the answer doesn't show any knowledge.I will down-vote this answer, sorry.
Huang
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-11T02:35:22.603Z
points taken. thx for your welcome.
Laguna
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-10T21:22:16.630Z
2012-01-10T21:22:16.630Z
Laguna
<p>The standard Chinese dictionary (《现代汉语词典》) lists xuè (fourth, not third, tone) as the official pronunciation and xiě as a colloquial variant. As such, in most compounds and technical terms, xuè is preferred. The pronunciation xiě is acceptable when you just want to say "blood" in casual speech.</p>

<p>There are several exceptions: the two modifiers 血糊糊 (xiěhūhū, "covered in blood") and 血淋淋 (xiělínlín, "gushing blood") are never read with the xuè pronunciation. There is also a word "血晕" the meaning of which differs based on which pronunciation of 血 is used.</p>

<p>血晕 (xiěyùn): to bruise<br>
血晕 (xuèyùn): a traditional Chinese medicine term for fainting after childbirth due to loss of blood.</p>

<p>Note that this is only what the dictionary says. I suspect many native speakers make different choices in their own speech. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-15T04:04:17.607Z
Earlier, three of my Chinese teachers had an argument about xue4, xie3, and the mispronunciation of xue3.
Jason Chen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-08-28T05:06:43.990Z
I think xie3 is the correct pronunciation regardless of location, but so many people mispronounced it that is became sort of "normal" to hear the incorrect form.
Admirer of the dragon flag
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-10T07:07:04.660Z
Thanks, that was a lot of helpful detail. The xie3 pronunciation always bugged me, probably because I learned from books first.
msittig
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-10T07:36:22.687Z
@msittig: you're welcome! I'm looking forward to hearing from some native speakers about their own impressions of the distinction.
Alf
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-04-12T14:20:53.897Z
Can the downvoter please explain his or her vote?
Alf
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-05-09T07:07:34.317Z
I'm not the down-voter, but my editions of 《现代汉语词典》 and 《现代汉语规范词典》 list both pronunciations (but give other meanings for the different pronunciations), and don't mention that one is the official one and the other isn't. It would like to copy it, but the entries are a bit long to copy (and the layout would be messed up in a comment).
BertR
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-09-14T03:16:30.803Z
I think it should be mentioned that xie3 is the standard pronunciation in Taiwan, or at least the one given for most words containing this character in the MoE dictionaries. I don't think I've ever heard "xue4" here.
Olle Linge
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-10T06:59:09.287Z
2012-01-10T07:09:00.240Z
2012-01-10T07:09:00.240Z
Alf
<p>Is there some sort of logical rule for when 血 is xuè and when it is xiě?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-10T06:49:04.547Z
Oh, it also makes a lot of Chinese people confused... :p
Kjuly
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-10T07:24:26.713Z
For your question about the quality standards, I suggest you post a question on [the meta site](http://meta.chinese.stackexchange.com) with the text of the versions that got rejected. My guess is that it was too short. Adding some context for the question will usually solve that.
Don Kirkby
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-10T08:02:39.507Z
Hi @Huang, I saw the edit version and realize that, actually, many Chinese people are misusing the `xuě`(including me :p, though it does not exist) instead of `xiě`, and this'll cause the confusion either. I think answers should be include `xuě`'s explanation. How do you think about it? :)
Kjuly
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-10T08:13:18.820Z
Thanks @DonKirkby, I think it was too short too. When I added the question about the quality, then it was accepted.
msittig
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-10T08:14:56.820Z
Also, re: the edit, I originally wrote xuě and not xuè because that's the way I seem to hear it most. The comment by @Kjuly (hi!) seems to confirm that.
msittig
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-10T08:17:49.620Z
@Kjuly The xuě sound is incorrect for 血. Some people speak xuě just because they speak incorrectly(remember China is a big country in terms of area. There are a lot of dialects). xuě doesn't have special meanings, so I don't decide to remain it.
Huang
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-10T08:24:29.843Z
@msittig As I replied Kjuly, xuě is not right. Of course, you can say that you once got xuě, but at last the right pronunciation should be there, so other readers won't learn the wrong version. Of course, it's your post and you can roll back. It's just my advice. Thanks!
Huang
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-10T08:24:37.787Z
@Huang, yes, I know it is incorrect, but you can see @msittig's comment above, that's the real confusion, uh? I think including some sentences like `"'xuě' is a incorrect pronunciation for 血. Some people speak xuě just because they speak incorrectly"` is okay. ;)
Kjuly
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-10T08:32:36.883Z
@Kjuly Thanks for your response. Now I changed xuě to xuè, and here we have the comments on xuě, so I think it's enough for others to know the correct and incorrect pronunciatons of 血.
Huang
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-10T08:35:00.513Z
@Huang mum..that's okay. :)
Kjuly
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-10T08:42:57.007Z
@Huang I agree, we can just leave xuě in the comments. Thanks for the helpful edit.
msittig
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-10T10:18:44.527Z
No-one else asked, so maybe it's just me who doesn't know, but what is TIA?
Alenanno
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-10T13:04:38.800Z
@Alenanno: "Thanks in advance"
Alf
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-10T13:19:33.170Z
@msittig I removed the TIA, because of this question "[Should 'Hi', 'thanks,' taglines, and salutations be removed from posts?](http://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/2950/should-hi-thanks-taglines-and-salutations-be-removed-from-posts)" and also the PS, because it wasn't related to the question.
Alenanno
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-10T15:12:55.930Z
@Alennano Seems like a good edit, thanks for catching (and sharing) that. The PS was to make the question post because the quality filter was rejecting it for being too short, and I wasn't sure if I could remove it later.
msittig
<pronunciation><pinyin>
血: xuè , xiě, what's the difference?
# 血: xuè , xiě, what's the difference?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2012-01-10)

Is there some sort of logical rule for when 血 is xuè and when it is xiě?

**Tags:** pronunciation, pinyin
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Oh, it also makes a lot of Chinese people confused... :p  
> **username_2**: For your question about the quality standards, I suggest you post a question on [the meta site](http://meta.chinese.stackexchange.com) with the text of the versions that got rejected. My guess is that it was too short. Adding some context for the question will usually solve that.  
> **username_1**: Hi @Huang, I saw the edit version and realize that, actually, many Chinese people are misusing the `xuě`(including me :p, though it does not exist) instead of `xiě`, and this'll cause the confusion either. I think answers should be include `xuě`'s explanation. How do you think about it? :)  
> **username_0**: Thanks @DonKirkby, I think it was too short too. When I added the question about the quality, then it was accepted.  
> **username_0**: Also, re: the edit, I originally wrote xuě and not xuè because that's the way I seem to hear it most. The comment by @Kjuly (hi!) seems to confirm that.  
> **username_3**: @Kjuly The xuě sound is incorrect for 血. Some people speak xuě just because they speak incorrectly(remember China is a big country in terms of area. There are a lot of dialects). xuě doesn't have special meanings, so I don't decide to remain it.  
> **username_3**: @msittig As I replied Kjuly, xuě is not right. Of course, you can say that you once got xuě, but at last the right pronunciation should be there, so other readers won't learn the wrong version. Of course, it's your post and you can roll back. It's just my advice. Thanks!  
> **username_1**: @Huang, yes, I know it is incorrect, but you can see @msittig's comment above, that's the real confusion, uh? I think including some sentences like `"'xuě' is a incorrect pronunciation for 血. Some people speak xuě just because they speak incorrectly"` is okay. ;)  
> **username_3**: @Kjuly Thanks for your response. Now I changed xuě to xuè, and here we have the comments on xuě, so I think it's enough for others to know the correct and incorrect pronunciatons of 血.  
> **username_1**: @Huang mum..that's okay. :)  
> **username_0**: @Huang I agree, we can just leave xuě in the comments. Thanks for the helpful edit.  
> **username_4**: No-one else asked, so maybe it's just me who doesn't know, but what is TIA?  
> **username_5**: @Alenanno: "Thanks in advance"  
> **username_4**: @msittig I removed the TIA, because of this question "[Should 'Hi', 'thanks,' taglines, and salutations be removed from posts?](http://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/2950/should-hi-thanks-taglines-and-salutations-be-removed-from-posts)" and also the PS, because it wasn't related to the question.  
> **username_0**: @Alennano Seems like a good edit, thanks for catching (and sharing) that. The PS was to make the question post because the quality filter was rejecting it for being too short, and I wasn't sure if I could remove it later.  

---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2012-01-10. Score: 18 | Accepted answer

The standard Chinese dictionary (《现代汉语词典》) lists xuè (fourth, not third, tone) as the official pronunciation and xiě as a colloquial variant. As such, in most compounds and technical terms, xuè is preferred. The pronunciation xiě is acceptable when you just want to say "blood" in casual speech.

There are several exceptions: the two modifiers 血糊糊 (xiěhūhū, "covered in blood") and 血淋淋 (xiělínlín, "gushing blood") are never read with the xuè pronunciation. There is also a word "血晕" the meaning of which differs based on which pronunciation of 血 is used.

血晕 (xiěyùn): to bruise  
血晕 (xuèyùn): a traditional Chinese medicine term for fainting after childbirth due to loss of blood.

Note that this is only what the dictionary says. I suspect many native speakers make different choices in their own speech.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks, that was a lot of helpful detail. The xie3 pronunciation always bugged me, probably because I learned from books first.  
> **username_5**: @msittig: you're welcome! I'm looking forward to hearing from some native speakers about their own impressions of the distinction.  
> **username_5**: Can the downvoter please explain his or her vote?  
> **username_6**: I'm not the down-voter, but my editions of 《现代汉语词典》 and 《现代汉语规范词典》 list both pronunciations (but give other meanings for the different pronunciations), and don't mention that one is the official one and the other isn't. It would like to copy it, but the entries are a bit long to copy (and the layout would be messed up in a comment).  
> **username_12**: I think it should be mentioned that xie3 is the standard pronunciation in Taiwan, or at least the one given for most words containing this character in the MoE dictionaries. I don't think I've ever heard "xue4" here.  
> **username_10**: Earlier, three of my Chinese teachers had an argument about xue4, xie3, and the mispronunciation of xue3.  
> **username_11**: I think xie3 is the correct pronunciation regardless of location, but so many people mispronounced it that is became sort of "normal" to hear the incorrect form.  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2012-01-10. Score: 14

Actually, such a problem even upsets native speakers, like me. When I was a student, I had to memorize the words for different pronunciatons too.

Unfortunately,there are some characters with two different pronunciations when used in colloquial language (白读) and literary language (文读), while different pronunciations basically mean the same. See the [article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literary_and_colloquial_readings_of_Chinese_characters) in Wikipedia to learn more info about this special phenomenon (in my dialect, there is also such a phenomenon, but I really don't realize it because I have been used to these different pronunciations). 血 is a typical one.

> xiě *blood*. Generally used as a single word and used in oral speech(words with this are not literary, are coarse or vulgar).  
> xuè *blood* Generally used in a literary words.

Examples:

> xiě 血淋淋 (bloody,cruel), 血豆腐 (a kind of food looks like bean curd, but made of blood), 血糊糊 (bloody), 他流了很多血 (He bleeds too much)  
> xuè 止血 (to stop bleeding), 流血 (to bleed), 血腥 (bloody), 血型 (blood type).

Some other characters with this problem would be:

> 薄 báo, bó. *thin, with small thickness*  
> báo is used in colloquial language and bó is used in literary language.  
> 壳 ké, qiào *the shell*  
> ké is used in colloquial language and qiào is used in literary language.

Take it easy, you could consult the dictionary when you are not sure. If you want to speak Mandarin in a very formal way, you have to try to memorize the words for different pronunciations.

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: That's a very interesting wiki-page. You should probably also refer to the Chinese version since there they mention the pinyin. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%96%87%E7%99%BD%E5%BC%82%E8%AF%BB  

---

### Answer by username_7 on 2015-12-13. Score: 2

To what I have been taught in schools or even chinese dictionaries I flipped...the only correct pronunciation for the word blood is Xiě.....while Xuè is represent Snow.

Hence it is depending on the individual on their level of acceptance and understanding of the language and/or words.

For myself, I will only stick to my foundation laid...that is blood is xiě and snow is xuè.

There is no grey area and to me, no justification of when where xuè is used in formal or informal.. spoken or written etc.

This is important as there is no grey area in languages especially for those trying to learn the language.

Just as an example : it couldn't be that we use "yes" as "no" in certain area or usage for English...can we?

> **Comments:**
> **username_8**: isn't snow actually xuě?  

---

### Answer by username_9 on 2012-01-10. Score: -1

my teacher back in china always taught us that xue (4th tone) is more formal.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: Hi, welcome to this site. I think your answer could be with more stuff to attract other's attention and I believe you could. This answer is not a good one, because xiě really exists and the answer doesn't show any knowledge.I will down-vote this answer, sorry.  
> **username_9**: points taken. thx for your welcome.  

---

