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疗效 (liáo xiào) — therapeutic effect; healing efficacy

Definition

疗效 is the curative power of a specific treatment — how well a drug or therapy works on the patient. Pairs with 疗法 (the therapy itself), and is narrower than 功效 (efficacy of any product).

noun
therapeutic effecthealing efficacy

Examples

  • 疗效。
    Zhè zhǒng yào de liáo xiào fēi cháng xiǎn zhù.
    The therapeutic effect of this drug is very remarkable.
  • ，疗效。
    Jīng guò bàn nián zhì liáo, huàn zhě de liáo xiào míng xiǎn hǎo zhuǎn.
    After six months of treatment, the patient's healing efficacy has clearly improved.
  • 疗效。
    Yī shēng jiàn yì xiān píng gū liáo xiào zài jué dìng yòng yào fāng àn.
    The doctor recommends evaluating the efficacy first before deciding on the medication plan.

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.

疗liáotreatment
效xiàoeffect

The effect of 疗 (treatment) is captured by 效 (effect), forming the meaning of therapeutic effect.

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 療; 疗 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
疒疒nèdisease
Sound part声符shēngfú
尞
尞liáo療liáo
Same sound today

The traditional form 療 has 疒 for disease and 尞 for the sound; the simplified 疗 is a later shorthand, so its visible parts are not the historical ones.

Open 疗 →

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
攵Written in full as攴pūto strike; action
Sound part声符shēngfú
交
交jiāo效xiào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

效 pairs 攵 (written in full as 攴), meaning “to strike; action,” with 交, which gives the sound.

Open 效 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Medicine & Treatment

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