医书 (yī shū) — medical book, medical classic

Definition

noun

medical bookmedical classic

Measure word · 本

医书。
Zhè běn yī shū shì zhōng guó gǔ dài de míng zhù.
This medical book is a famous ancient Chinese work.
，医书。
Tā fù qīn shì zhōng yī, jiā lǐ yǒu hěn duō yī shū.
His father is a Chinese medicine doctor, and there are many medical books at home.
，医书。
Wèi le xué hǎo yī shù, tā měi tiān dōu yào dú jǐ yè yī shū.
To master medical skills, he reads a few pages of medical books every day.

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.

医yīmedicine

医 gives the medical field and 书 gives the book, so it means a medical book.

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 醫; 医 is its simplified writing.

殹酉醫

Meaning part形符xíngfú

酉酉yǒuliquor

Sound part声符shēngfú

殹

殹yì醫yī

Same sound today

The traditional form 醫 pairs 酉 (liquor) with 殹 as a sound part; the simplified 医 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical ones.

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 書; 书 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

聿聿yùwriting brush

Sound part声符shēngfú

者

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 書 uses 聿, a writing brush, and 者 for its sound; the simplified 书 is a later shorthand.