瘀
hematoma (internal blood clot); extravasated blood (spilt into surrounding tissue); contusion
Closest English meanings
stasis·blood clot·stagnation
The Calligrapher — Sū Shì 苏轼
Song literatus whose spontaneous running script shaped the literati ideal.
Song calligrapher (1037–1101), master of running script/regular script — Song poet-statesman and polymath whose expressive running script made personality, not rules, the point. Song dynasty
Cultural Story
In TCM's hydraulics of the body, blood must flow; 瘀 is the standing pool that breeds pain, dark complexion and clots. Injury manuals and gynecology texts alike prescribed 化瘀 herbs — peach kernel, safflower — to move what had stalled and restore the current beneath the skin.
Common words & phrases
- 瘀血 blood stasis · extravasated blood
- 瘀滞 stagnation · stasis
- 化瘀 resolve stasis
Read the story behind the character
It colors daily speech through bruise colors: knock your shin and the 瘀血 (blood stasis) blooms purple by morning. Cupping therapists promise to 化瘀 (resolve stasis), pointing at the red marks as proof, and wellness apps warn against 瘀滞 (stagnation) of blood, qi and weekend plans alike.
Own this character
Purchase delivers the original SVG of this glyph, brushed by Sū Shì 苏轼, ready to place on skin, paper, or screen.