膏药 (gāo yao) — medicated plaster (traditional Chinese medicine)

Definition

noun

medicated plaster (traditional Chinese medicine)

Measure word · 张

膏药。
Yī shēng gěi wǒ tiē le yì zhāng gāo yao.
The doctor applied a medicated plaster to me.
膏药。
Zhè zhǒng gāo yao duì yāo téng hěn yǒu xiào.
This kind of medicated plaster is very effective for back pain.
膏药。
Tā měi tiān dōu yào huàn yí cì gāo yao.
He has to change the medicated plaster once every day.

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.

膏gāoointment

药yàomedicine

膏 suggests ointment and 药 suggests medicine, together naming a medicated plaster.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

高

Same sound today

膏 combines 高 as a sound part with 肉 (meat) as its meaning part.

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.

艹樂藥

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.

Appears in