巴豆 (bā dòu) — croton seed (a traditional Chinese medicinal herb with strong purgative properties)

Definition

Croton seed — a toxic traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) herb used as a strong purgative, so it must be processed (炮制) before use.

noun
croton seed (a traditional Chinese medicinal herb with strong purgative properties)
Measure word · 粒

Examples

  • 巴豆。
    Zhōng yī cháng yòng bā dòu lái zhì liáo biàn mì.
    Traditional Chinese medicine often uses croton seeds to treat constipation.
  • 巴豆，。
    bā dòu Yǒu dú xìng, shǐ yòng qián bì xū jīng guò páo zhì.
    Croton seeds are toxic and must be processed before use.
  • 巴豆。
    Tā zài yào diàn lǐ mǎi le yì xiǎo bāo bā dòu.
    He bought a small packet of croton seeds at the pharmacy.

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.

巴bāBa (place name)
豆dòubean/seed

巴 names the Ba region and 豆 names a seed, so the word gives the name of a croton seed.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 巴 →

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

豆 originally drew some kind of container. It was borrowed for its sound to write the plant name, so the picture and the meaning are unrelated.

Open 豆 →

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