輸

Phono-semantic compound composed of:

車 (수레 거) — semantic component, meaning “cart” or “vehicle,” signifying motion and transport.

兪 (대답할 유) — phonetic component, providing the sound su (수) and carrying nuances of agreement or assent.

Thus, the original image is “a vehicle that carries or conveys” — transporting something from one place to another.

輸送 (수송) — to transport; conveyance

輸入 (수입) — import; bringing in goods

輸出 (수출) — export; sending out goods

運輸 (운수) — transportation; traffic

輸電 (수전) — transmission of electricity

輸血 (수혈) — blood transfusion

輸油 (수유) — oil transport; pipeline transmission

輸贏 (수영) — win or loss (gain and defeat)

輸了 (수료) — to lose (colloquial Chinese)

輸心 (수심) — to share or entrust one’s heart; to be devoted

In early Chinese texts, 輸 had purely physical connotations — to carry, move, or transfer goods.

With the spread of commerce and governance, it became a fundamental term in describing trade, tribute, and taxation.

「四方之貢，皆輸於王府。」

“Tributes from the four quarters were all delivered to the royal treasury” — Book of Documents (書經).

Later, metaphorical senses emerged:

To “yield” or “lose” in competition, as in “to transport one’s strength away” — a poetic way of describing loss or defeat.

In Buddhist contexts, 輸 sometimes carried the sense of transferring merit (迴向輸功) — the spiritual “sending” of blessings to others.

In modern Chinese, the meaning broadened to include medical and technical uses:

輸血 (shūxuè) — “to transfuse blood”

輸液 (shūyè) — “to infuse fluid”

These retain the original sense of “transfer” or “sending” — now in biological or mechanical form.

In Japanese, 輸 is most familiar in compounds such as:

輸入 (yunyū) — import

輸出 (yushutsu) — export

輸送 (yusō) — transport

When used alone as 負ける (to lose), it appears with the on’yomi “シュ” (shu), a special reading applied only in the “defeat” sense.

輸 is the character of movement and exchange — the act of sending forth, transferring, or yielding.

It embodies the flow that sustains both commerce and human connection.

Whether it be goods across lands, blood through veins, or merit toward others,

輸 teaches that life thrives through circulation — through giving and receiving.

「輸者，通也。」

“To transport is to make things flow.”

And in its later meaning, “to lose,” 輸 also carries quiet wisdom:

even in loss, there is movement — a yielding that opens the way for renewal and balance.

Thus, 輸 signifies both exchange and humility,

the dynamic rhythm of sending and returning that sustains the world.