출혈하다

The Korean verb 출혈하다 (chul-hyeol-ha-da) is the direct equivalent of the English verb 'to bleed' or 'to hemorrhage.' It combines the Hanja characters 출 (to exit/go out) and 혈 (blood).

Think of it as blood making an exit from your body. While it sounds quite clinical, it is used in both everyday situations—like describing a scraped knee—and in serious medical or financial contexts.

Using this word correctly shows you understand both the literal physical act and the metaphorical sense of losing something valuable. It is a very precise term that helps you communicate clearly when discussing health or even economic 'bleeding' (like losing money).

The word 출혈하다 is rooted in Sino-Korean (Hanja) linguistics. The character 出 (chul) means 'to go out' or 'to emerge,' while 血 (hyeol) means 'blood.'

Historically, these characters were borrowed from Classical Chinese to describe biological processes. In ancient medical texts, this term was used to document injuries during battle or accidents. It evolved from a purely observational term into a standard medical descriptor used across East Asian cultures.

Because it is built on Hanja, it shares a structural logic with other medical terms like 수혈 (blood transfusion). Understanding this etymology helps you realize that Korean medical vocabulary is often highly logical and descriptive, making it easier to learn similar terms once you recognize the root characters.

You will most often hear 출혈하다 in medical reports, news, or serious conversations about injuries. It is more formal than simply saying '피가 나다' (blood is coming out).

Common collocations include 과다 출혈 (excessive bleeding/hemorrhage) or 내부 출혈 (internal bleeding). These pairings are essential when describing the severity of a situation.

In a professional register, using this term demonstrates a level of maturity and vocabulary precision. While you might say '피가 나요' to a friend when you have a papercut, you would use '출혈이 발생했습니다' in an official incident report or a doctor's consultation.

While 출혈하다 is primarily literal, it is used in the idiom 출혈 경쟁 (bleeding competition). This refers to a 'price war' where companies lower prices so much that they lose money, effectively 'bleeding' their profits.

Another common usage is 출혈을 감수하다, meaning 'to endure a loss.' This is used in business when someone decides to sacrifice profit to achieve a long-term goal.

You might also hear 출혈이 크다, meaning 'the loss is significant.' This is a versatile phrase used for both literal blood loss and metaphorical financial or resource loss.

Grammatically, 출혈하다 is a regular verb. It follows the standard -하다 conjugation pattern, becoming 출혈합니다 (formal) or 출혈했어요 (polite).

Pronunciation-wise, pay attention to the -혈 sound. The 'hyeol' syllable requires a clear 'hy' sound followed by a slightly elongated 'eol'. It is not 'he-ol' but a single gliding syllable.

Stress in Korean is less about volume and more about pitch, so keep a neutral, steady tone. It rhymes loosely with words like 열 (heat) or 결 (texture), though the meanings are completely unrelated.