献血
xiàn xuè · HSK 7
to donate blood
🩸 献血 = 献 offer/donate + 血 blood
献 means to offer or contribute; 血 is blood. Put them together and you literally offer up blood — to donate blood. The 血 character even tops the 皿 dish radical, a vessel holding the drop.
献 — 南 (south, phonetic) + 犬 (dog, semantic)
Originally written 獻, this character depicted a dog (犬) being offered, with 鬳 serving as the phonetic component indicating a ritual cauldron. It referred to presenting sacrificial offerings to ancestors or rulers. The meaning broadened over time to 'offer' or 'dedicate' in general, and the modern simplified form 献 replaces 鬳 with 南.
血 — drop 丿 over dish 皿
Originally a pictograph of a sacrificial vessel (皿) with a drop of blood inside, marking the offering of blood in ancient rituals. The small stroke on top represents the blood itself. Over time it broadened from ritual blood to blood in general.