滴血 (dī xuè) literally means 'a drop of blood'—the character 滴 refers to a single droplet, while 血 means 'blood'. Together, they form a noun describing one small, visible unit of blood, often used in medical, literary, or emotional contexts. It emphasizes precision and physicality: not just 'blood' in general, but blood appearing drop by drop—whether from a wound, during menstruation, or symbolically in expressions of deep pain or sacrifice.

The phrase is commonly found in clinical descriptions ('a drop of blood appeared on the fingertip'), traditional idioms ('滴血认亲', 'identifying kinship through matching blood'), and poetic or dramatic writing ('her tears fell like drops of blood'). Though grammatically a noun, it may appear in verb-like constructions when paired with verbs such as '流' (to flow) or '渗' (to seep), as in '滴血不止' (bleeding drop by drop without stopping). It carries neutral-to-serious register and is rarely used in casual speech without context.