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血債血償

简血债血偿 · 繁血債血償

Mandarin · pinyin xuè zhài xuè cháng

a debt of blood must be paid in blood; blood calls for blood
also pr. xuè zhài xiě cháng

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Characters in this entry

血: xuè · blood; Kangxi radical 143
債: Look up this written character
償: Look up this written character
债: zhài · debt, loan, liabilities
偿: cháng · repay, recompense; restitution

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–4–4–2 · xue4 zhai4 xue4 chang2

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

血債血償 · find source passages ↗ · 血债血偿 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

hyut3 zaai3 hyut3 soeng4

Cantonese word readings for 血債血償. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) Debts of blood must be paid in blood. / Blood must atone for blood.

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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