脉 (mài) is a Chinese character meaning “blood vessel”. It is written from 月 (moon; month) and 𠂢 (the five-stroke component on the right of 脉 and 派: a downward stroke with strokes branching off it), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “vein; pulse”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
月 + 𠂢
Left–right structure
- 月 moon; month · yuè meaning
- 𠂢 the component on the right of 脉 and 派: one long stroke with shorter strokes branching off it unknown
Structure from: 现代简化字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-3 月 / 4-8 𠂢）
Memory aid
On the left sits 月, the same block you see in body characters like 肌 and 胀. On the right, 𠂢 runs down and branches off to both sides like streams splitting. Branching channels in the body — that is a 脉: a vein, a pulse, a line that runs through everything.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 山脉shān màimountain range脉 = mài
- 血脉xuè màiblood vessels; bloodline脉 = mài
Go deeper
All readings
vein; pulse
blood vessel; pulse; by extension any vein-like system running through something, as in a mountain range or a family line
血管；脉搏。引申指像血管一样连贯分布的系统，如山脉、血脉。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 山脉shān màimountain range脉 = mài
- 血脉xuè màiblood vessels; bloodline脉 = mài
Rare readings, not taught: mò
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 脉 mean?
脉 (mài) means blood vessel; pulse; by extension any vein-like system running through something, as in a mountain range or a family line.
How do you pronounce 脉?
It is pronounced mài.
What parts is 脉 made of?
月 (moon; month) and 𠂢 (the five-stroke component on the right of 脉 and 派: a downward stroke with strokes branching off it), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代简化字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-3 月 / 4-8 𠂢）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 脉 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 脉?
月. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 脉?
Common ones are 山脉 and 血脉. The reading of 脉 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.