脉 (mài): arteries and veins, vein (on a leaf, insect wing etc), see 脈脈|脉脉
脉 (mài) is a Chinese character meaning “arteries and veins.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of ⺼ (structural) and 永 (structural). It ranks #1583 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 脉 long 永 vessels through one's body ⺼. Its radical form 肉 (meat) appears in many related characters such as 肉 (ròu, meat), 能 (néng, can), 背 (bèi, the back of a body or object).
Definitions
- arteries and veins
- vein (on a leaf, insect wing etc)
- see 脈脈|脉脉
Etymology & Origin
ideographicLong 永 vessels through one's body ⺼
Decomposition: ⿰⺼永 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 脉 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 脉搏noun | mài bó | pulse (both medical and figurative) |
| 动脉noun | dòng mài | artery |
| 静脉noun | jìng mài | vein |
| 动脉瘤noun | dòng mài liú | aneurysm |
| 脉冲 | mài chōng | pulse (physics) |
| 山脉noun | shān mài | mountain range |
| 血脉noun | xuè mài | blood vessels |
| 来龙去脉phrase | lái lóng qù mài | (lit.) the rise and fall of the terrain (idiom) |
| 主动脉noun | zhǔ dòng mài | aorta |
| 大动脉noun | dà dòng mài | main artery (blood vessel) |
| 冠状动脉noun | guān zhuàng dòng mài | coronary artery |
| 肺动脉noun | fèi dòng mài | pulmonary artery |
| 命脉noun | mìng mài | lifeline |
| 动脉硬化noun | dòng mài yìng huà | hardening of the arteries |
| 经脉noun | jīng mài | channel of TCM |
脉 appears in 100 compound words: 20 as the first character, 64 as the last, and 16 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 脉 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (13)
Annamite Range, aka Annamese Cordillera, mountain range forming the border between Vietnam and Laos
origin and development; the entire process; sequence of events; ins and outs
Annamite Range, aka Annamese Cordillera, mountain range forming the border between Vietnam and Laos
origin and development; the entire process; sequence of events; ins and outs
Showing 12 of 13 idioms containing 脉.
Example Sentences
我在字典里查到了脉字的详细解释。
wǒ zài zì diǎn lǐ chá dào le mài zì de xiáng xì xiè shì .
I looked up the detailed explanation of the character "脉" in the dictionary.
男性生殖怎么检查?阴囊彩超能发现精索静脉曲张吗
nán xìng shēng zhí zěn má jiǎn chá ? yīn náng cǎi chāo néng fā xiàn jīng suǒ jìng mài qū zhāng ma
How to check male reproduction? Can scrotal color ultrasound detect varicocele?
...孕药的副作用和危害大吗?长期服用会增加静脉血栓风险吗
. . . yùn yào de fù zuò yòng hé wēi hài dà ma ? cháng qī fú yòng huì zēng jiā jìng mài xiě shuān fēng xiǎn ma
... Are the side effects and harms of pregnancy pills great? Does long-term use increase the risk of venous thrombosis?
返回汉字故乡,朝觐文化根脉,一窥中华文明精神本原
fǎn huí hàn zì gù xiāng , cháo 觐 wén huà gēn mài , yī kuī zhōng huá wén míng jīng shén běn yuán
Return to the hometown of Chinese characters, make a pilgrimage to the cultural roots, and get a glimpse of the spiritual origin of Chinese civilization
人脉遍布微软高层 艾普斯坦“藉此打进科技界名...
rén mài biàn bù wēi ruǎn gāo céng ài pǔ sī tǎn 藉 cǐ dǎ jìn kē jì jiè míng . . .
Contacts all over Microsoft's top management Epstein "used this to break into the technology world...
新春走基层|湾区“动脉”守夜人的别样新春
xīn chūn zǒu jī céng wān qū dòng mài shǒu yè rén de bié yàng xīn chūn
New Year at the grassroots level|A different New Year for the "artery" night watchmen in the Bay Area
这是阿尔卑斯山脉最高的山峰之一。
Zhè shì ā'ěrbēisī shānmài zuì gāo de shānfēng zhīyī.
It's among the highest mountains in the Alps.
阿尔卑斯山脉义大利一侧的海拔通常较低。
ā'ěrbēisī shānmài Yìdàlì yī cè de hǎibá tōngcháng jiào dī.
The Alps are generally lower on the Italian side.
阿尔卑斯山脉横跨八个欧洲国家。
ā'ěrbēisī shānmài héngkuà bā gè ōuzhōu guójiā.
The Alps extend across eight European countries.
喜马拉雅山脉是位于亚洲大陆的山脉。
Xǐmǎlāyǎshānmài shì wèiyú Yàzhōu dàlù de shānmài.
The Himalayas are a mountain range located on the Asian continent.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 脉 (mài) mean in Chinese?
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What is the radical of 脉?
What are the components of 脉?
What are common words containing 脉?
What characters sound the same as 脉 (mài)?
Is 脉 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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