牙医 (yá yī) — dentist | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

dentist

Measure word · 个

Examples

牙医。
Wǒ míng tiān yào qù kàn yá yī.
I'm going to see the dentist tomorrow.
牙医。
Zhè wèi yá yī hěn yǒu jīng yàn.
This dentist is very experienced.
牙医。
yá yī Jiàn yì wǒ měi tiān shuā liǎng cì yá.
The dentist recommends I brush my teeth twice a day.

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.

医yīdoctor

牙 means tooth and 医 means doctor, giving a tooth doctor.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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 醫; 医 is its simplified writing.

殹酉醫

Meaning part形符xíngfú

酉酉yǒuliquor

Sound part声符shēngfú

殹

殹yì醫yī

Same sound today

The traditional form 醫 pairs 酉 (liquor) with 殹 as a sound part; the simplified 医 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical ones.

Appears in

Medicine & Treatment Professions & Jobs 5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.