药水 (Yào shuǐ) — liquid medicine (for oral or external use); lot…

Definition

noun

liquid medicine (for oral or external use)lotion (cosmetic or medicinal)

Measure word · 瓶

药水。
Yī shēng gěi wǒ kāi le yì píng Yào shuǐ.
The doctor prescribed a bottle of liquid medicine.
药水。
Zhè zhǒng Yào shuǐ tú zài liǎn shàng hěn shū fu.
This lotion feels nice on the face.
药水。
Nǐ xū yào měi tiān hē sān cì Yào shuǐ.
You need to drink the liquid medicine three times a 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.

药yàomedicine

药, medicine, and 水, water, together mean liquid medicine.

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 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.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

水 is a simple drawing of water flowing.

Appears in