后悔药 (hòu huǐ yào) — regret medicine (figurative: no way to undo a regretted action, often in 没有后悔药)

Definition

后悔药 is a figurative noun, almost always used in the set phrase 没有后悔药 ('there's no regret medicine' = there's no way to undo it). It is not a real medicine — the meaning is that regretted actions cannot be reversed.

noun
regret medicine (figurative: no way to undo a regretted action, often in 没有后悔药)

Examples

  • 后悔药。
    Shì jiè shàng méi yǒu hòu huǐ yào.
    There is no regret medicine in the world.
  • ，后悔药。
    Nǐ yào xiǎng qīng chǔ, yīn wèi zhè jiàn shì méi yǒu hòu huǐ yào.
    You need to think it over, because there's no turning back on this.
  • ，后悔药。
    Tā hòu huǐ le, dàn kě xī méi yǒu hòu huǐ yào kě yǐ chī.
    He regretted it, but unfortunately there's no regret medicine to take.

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.

后悔regret
后hòuafter悔huǐrepent
偏正Modifier + head
药yàomedicine

后 (after) and 悔 (repent) give regret, and 药 makes it medicine.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 後; 后 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 後 showed 夊 (foot) bound by 幺 (thread), a foot caught by a rope and lagging behind; the simplified 后 is a later abbreviation, and 后 also has a different meaning.

Open 后 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
忄Written in full as心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
每
每měi悔huǐ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

悔 pairs 忄, the heart part, with 每, which gives a sound hint.

Open 悔 →

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
樂
樂lè藥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 →

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