冲剂 (chōng jì) — medicinal granules or powder to be dissolved in water and taken orally

Definition

冲剂 (chōng jì) are pre-measured packets of medicinal powder or granules that you dissolve in hot water before drinking — the 'mix-and-drink' form of traditional Chinese medicine. The verb 冲 here means 'to dissolve in water', not 'to rush'.

noun
medicinal granules or powder to be dissolved in water and taken orally
Measure word · 盒

Examples

  • 冲剂，。
    Yī shēng gěi wǒ kāi le sān hé chōng jì, měi tiān hē liǎng cì.
    The doctor prescribed three boxes of granules for me, and I take them twice a day.
  • 冲剂，。
    Zhè zhǒng chōng jì yòng wēn shuǐ chōng fú, xiào guǒ hěn hǎo.
    This kind of medicinal granules should be mixed with warm water; the effect is very good.
  • 冲剂，。
    Gǎn mào shí hē yì bāo chōng jì, zhèng zhuàng huì jiǎn qīng hěn duō.
    Having one packet of granules when you have a cold can greatly relieve the symptoms.

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.

冲chōngdissolve
剂jìpreparation

冲 and 剂 describe medicine meant to be mixed with liquid.

Characters in this word

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 衝; 冲 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 冲 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (冲, 冲动) it is 衝; in others (冲) it is 沖.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
行行xíng
Sound part声符shēngfú
重
重zhòng衝chōng
Same sound today

The traditional form 衝 shows 重 inside 行, with 行 as the meaning part and 重 as the sound part; the simplified 冲 is a later shorthand.

Open 冲 →

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 劑; 剂 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
刂Written in full as刀dāo
Sound part声符shēngfú
齊
齊qí劑jì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 劑, 齊 gives the sound and 刂 (刀, a knife) shows the meaning. The simplified 剂 is a later shorthand.

Open 剂 →

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