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感冒药 (gǎn mào yào) — cold medicine; medicine for the common cold

Definition

noun
cold medicinemedicine for the common cold
Measure word · 种

Examples

  • 感冒药。
    Wǒ qù yào diàn mǎi le yì hé gǎn mào yào.
    I went to the pharmacy and bought a box of cold medicine.
  • ，感冒药。
    Nǐ gǎn mào le, jì de chī gǎn mào yào.
    You have a cold, remember to take cold medicine.
  • 感冒药。
    Zhè zhǒng gǎn mào yào de xiào guǒ hěn hǎo.
    This kind of cold medicine is very effective.

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.

感冒cold
感gǎncatch冒màoexpose
联合Coordinate
药yàomedicine

Cold and medicine combine to mean medicine for a cold.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
咸
咸xián感gǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

感 pairs 咸, which gives the sound, with 心, the heart, for feeling.

Open 感 →

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
目目mùeyes
Sound part声符shēngfú
冃
冃mào冒mào
Same sound today

冒 was built from 冃, a hat used for the sound, plus 目, eyes, as the meaning part.

Open 冒 →

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 →
Appears in
Medicine & Treatment

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