化学药品 (huà xué yào pǐn) — chemicals, chemical reagents, pharmaceutical chemicals

Definition

Chemical substances used in industry or pharmaceuticals — compounds produced or purified by chemical means, as opposed to natural or crude materials.

noun
chemicalschemical reagentspharmaceutical chemicals
Measure word ·

Examples

  • 化学药品
    Shí yàn shì xū yào gè zhǒng huà xué yào pǐn.
    The laboratory needs various chemicals.
  • 化学药品
    Zhè xiē huà xué yào pǐn duì rén tǐ yǒu hài, yào xiǎo xīn shǐ yòng.
    These chemicals are harmful to the human body and must be used with care.
  • Zhè jiā gōng chǎng shēng chǎn gōng yè huà xué yào pǐn.
    This factory produces industrial chemicals.

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.

化学chemistry
huàchangexuéstudy
偏正Modifier + head
药品preparation
yàomedicinepǐnarticle
偏正Modifier + head

化学 refers to the science of substances, and 药品 means preparations; together they name chemical preparations.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

化 shows two person figures, one upright and one upside down, to give the idea of reversal or change.

Open 化 →

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 學; 学 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 學 may have used 爻 and 六 for sound, with hands and a child added later; the simplified 学 is a shorthand.

Open 学 →

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 藥; 药 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
Written in full ascǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
yào
Same sound today

In the traditional form 藥, 艹 shows grass and 樂 gives the sound; this story is about 藥, not about the simplified 药.

Open 药 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

品 repeats the same simple shape three times, representing various objects.

Open 品 →

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