Stories of people losing their life savings in the stock market are common.
Tips
memory
血 (blood) + 本 (capital) = 'blood capital,' i.e. money you bled for. The vivid image is exactly the connotation: it's not just any savings, it's the principal you cannot afford to lose.
usage
Often appears in the phrase 血本无归 (xuèběn-wúguī, 'lose every cent of one's principal'), describing a wipeout investment loss.
