乌头 (wū tóu) — Chinese monkshood (Aconitum carmichaelii); aconite; wolfsbane; (TCM) processed root of monkshood used medicinally

Definition

Names the plant monkshood (Aconitum) and its toxic root, used in TCM only after processing. Highly poisonous — raw handling is dangerous, which is why it appears mostly in medical and safety contexts.

noun
Chinese monkshood (Aconitum carmichaelii)aconitewolfsbane(TCM) processed root of monkshood used medicinally
Measure word · 棵

Examples

  • 乌头，。
    Zhè zhǒng wū tóu de dú xìng fēi cháng qiáng, bù néng suí biàn shǐ yòng.
    This kind of monkshood is extremely toxic and cannot be used casually.
  • 乌头。
    Zhōng yī lǐ wū tóu cháng bèi yòng lái zhì liáo téng tòng.
    In Chinese medicine, monkshood is often used to treat pain.
  • 乌头，。
    Cǎi zhāi wū tóu shí bì xū dài shǒu tào, fáng zhǐ zhòng dú.
    When picking monkshood, you must wear gloves to prevent poisoning.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

乌wūcrow
头tóuhead

“乌” (crow) and “头” (head) suggest the plant's dark, head-like root.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 烏; 乌 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 烏 is a drawing of a bird. The simplified 乌 is a later abbreviation.

Open 乌 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 頭; 头 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
豆
豆dòu頭tóu
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 頭 shows 頁, meaning head, beside 豆 as a sound component; the simplified 头 is a later shorthand.

Open 头 →

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