换药 (huàn yào) — to change a dressing or bandage (on a wound)

Definition

A medical term meaning to change or replace a wound's dressing or bandage, usually done by a nurse or doctor. It is a separable verb (离合词): 换药 → 换了一次药, 换药吗.

verb
to change a dressing or bandage (on a wound)

Examples

  • 换药。
    Hù shi měi tiān gěi bìng rén huàn yào.
    The nurse changes the patient's dressing every day.
  • 。
    Yī shēng yǐ jīng gěi tā huàn le yí cì yào.
    The doctor has already changed his dressing once.
  • ，换药。
    Shāng kǒu gǎn rǎn le, xū yào mǎ shàng huàn yào.
    The wound is infected and needs a dressing change immediately.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

换huànchange
药yàomedicine

The action is to change the medicine or dressing, joining 换 and 药.

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 換; 换 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
奐
奐huàn換huàn
Same sound today

For the traditional form 換, 手 is the hand part and 奐 gives the sound; this note is about 換, not the simplified 换.

Open 换 →

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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