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春药 (chūn yào) — aphrodisiac, love potion

Definition

Literally 'spring medicine': a substance taken to increase sexual desire. Refers specifically to the drug or potion itself, not general romance or attraction.

noun
aphrodisiaclove potion
Measure word · 种

Examples

  • 春药。
    Tā xiāng xìn zhè zhǒng chūn yào kě yǐ gǎi shàn hūn yīn shēng huó.
    He believes this aphrodisiac can improve marital life.
  • ，春药。
    Zài zhōng guó gǔ dài, hěn duō huáng dì dōu shǐ yòng guò chūn yào yǐ yán cháng fáng shì shí jiān.
    In ancient China, many emperors used aphrodisiacs to prolong intercourse time.
  • ，春药。
    Yī shēng jǐng gào shuō, làn yòng chūn yào kě néng duì shēn tǐ zào chéng shāng hài.
    Doctors warn that abusing aphrodisiacs can harm the body.

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.

春chūnerotic desire
药yàomedicine

春 suggests spring or erotic desire, and 药 means medicine, naming a love potion.

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
艸艸cǎograss
日日rìsun
Sound part声符shēngfú
屯
屯tún春chūn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

春 combines 艸 (grass) and 日 (sun) with 屯, which supplies the sound and is described as a swollen sprout.

Open 春 →

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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