‘血仇’ (xuè chóu) literally means 'blood enmity' — '血' (xuè) means 'blood', and '仇' (chóu) means 'enemy' or 'grudge'. Together, they form a formal, literary term for a deep-seated, often generational vendetta arising from murder or serious injury, especially one that demands retaliation in kind. Historically, it appears in classical literature, historical accounts, and legal texts describing clan-based conflicts where killing a family member obligates kin to seek vengeance.

In modern usage, ‘血仇’ is rare in everyday speech but still appears in news reports about long-standing interfamily violence, crime documentaries, or historical dramas. It carries strong connotations of tragedy, moral ambiguity, and the destructive cycle of revenge. Unlike general terms like ‘仇恨’ (hèn), which means ‘hatred’, ‘血仇’ specifically implies bloodshed as both cause and expected consequence — making it more intense, visceral, and culturally loaded.