‘血压’ (xuè yā) literally means ‘blood pressure’ — combining 血 (xuè), meaning ‘blood’, and 压 (yā), meaning ‘pressure’ or ‘compression’. It refers to the force exerted by circulating blood against the walls of blood vessels, especially arteries. In Chinese medical and everyday contexts, it’s a standard term used in check-ups, health reports, and discussions about cardiovascular wellness.

This compound is a noun-only term and functions as a single semantic unit — you wouldn’t separate the characters in speech or writing. It commonly appears with measurement units (e.g., 毫米汞柱 mmHg), modifiers like 高 (gāo, ‘high’) or 低 (dī, ‘low’), or verbs such as 测 (cè, ‘to measure’) and 控制 (kòngzhì, ‘to control’). Unlike English, Chinese doesn’t use articles before 血压, and it rarely takes plural forms — context alone indicates whether one or multiple readings are implied.