脉 (mài) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

脉

mài[mai4]Tone 4

pulse

HSK 7

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脈

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · pulse

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:10

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (月 flesh/meat) should be compressed slightly to make space for the complex right-hand side (永).

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 脈 uses 月 (flesh) on the left and 𠂹 alongside 水 elements compressed into 永 on the right. Simplified to 脉, retaining the flesh radical and simplifying the phonetic component.

1. Meaning

Pulse, arteries and veins

vein on a leaf or insect wingnetwork or system of connectionstraditional Chinese medical pulse diagnosis

NounFormalBound morpheme#anatomy#nature#medicine

Sample Usage

中医通过把脉来诊断病情。
zhōngyī tōngguò bǎmài lái zhěnduàn bìngqíng.
Traditional Chinese medicine doctors diagnose conditions by taking the pulse.
山脉绵延数百里。
shānmài miányán shù bǎilǐ.
The mountain range stretches for hundreds of miles.

2. Sound

/[maɪ̯⁵¹]/Tone: 51

脉

màimai4

`(51)

=mài

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

mai

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "a" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).

Initial Consonant

Type: Bilabial Nasal

Sounds like: m sound as in 'mother'

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Nasal resonance through nostrils.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips pressed together gently to voice the nasal sound, then opening for the vowel.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -a vowel group

Sounds like: -ai rhymes with 'eye'

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'eye'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops sharply like a command or an abrupt 'No!'.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the falling Tone 4 with Tone 3 or Tone 1. Ensure the pitch drops decisively without dipping.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp karate chop downward from high to low, representing a sudden drop in pitch.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 10 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (月 flesh/meat) should be compressed slightly to make space for the complex right-hand side (永).

4. Components

Radical 月 · Flesh radical (when on the left) (Body parts, flesh, organs)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 月 (Indicates bodily flesh, tissue, or blood vessels.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 永 (original sound: mài / yǒng)

The flesh radical (月) combined with the phonetic/structural component (永) signifying a flowing stream, representing the flowing streams of blood through the body's vessels.

月 Flesh/body tissue
永 Flow/stream

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

2· Phonetic Root: 脉 (mài)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combining the flesh radical (月) to denote biological tissue and a phonetic element suggesting flowing liquid, depicting the flowing blood channels in the body.

Semantic Evolution: Expanded from physical blood vessels to metaphorical networks like leaf veins, mountain ranges, and underground water streams.

Pulse diagnosis (脉诊) has been a cornerstone of traditional Chinese medicine for over two millennia.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ミャク (myaku) / Kun: すじ (suji)

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine pressing your fingers against your flesh (月) while feeling a stream of water (永) flowing underneath, beating with your pulse.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

霡

màiold variant of 霢[mai4]+ 雨 (rain)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

末(mò)

末 means tip/end and has shorter horizontal strokes; 脉 has the flesh radical on the left.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

医生正在为病人切[___]。

Clue: mài

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the right side component 永 with similar shapes or writing the left flesh radical too wide.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 脉, what anatomical and geological meanings come to mind?

Production: How do you write the character for 'pulse' using the flesh radical and the flow component?

脉màipulse

Speed:

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