tā de shǒu shàng yǒu xuè.

There is blood on his hand.

Breakdown of tā de shǒu shàng yǒu xuè.

• 的de: possessive particle
• 有yǒu: to have
• 他tā: he
• 上shàng: on

Questions & Answers about tā de shǒu shàng yǒu xuè.

What does 的 mean in 他的手上?

的 is the common particle used to show possession or description.

So:

• 他 = he / him
• 他的 = his
• 他的手 = his hand / his hands

In this sentence, 他的手上 means on his hand or on his hands.

Why is 上 used after 手?

上 literally means on, above, or on the surface of.

So:

• 手上 = on the hand / on one’s hand(s)

Chinese often uses a noun + location word like this:

• 桌子上 = on the table
• 墙上 = on the wall
• 手上 = on the hand

So 他的手上有血 is literally something like On his hand, there is blood.

Why does the sentence use 有?

有 means to have, but it is also very often used to mean there is / there are in a certain place.

Here it works like an existence pattern:

• 地方 + 有 + 东西
• in/at some place + there is + something

So:

• 他的手上有血
• literally: On his hand, there is blood

This is why 有 appears instead of a verb meaning to be located.