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药用 (yào yòng) — (attributive) medicinal; for medicinal use

Definition

A formal attributive adjective meaning 'for medicinal use,' used almost exclusively in technical, scientific, or pharmaceutical writing to describe substances used as medicine. In everyday speech, just say 药.

adjective
(attributive) medicinalfor medicinal use

Examples

  • 药用。
    Zhè zhǒng zhí wù yǒu hěn gāo de yào yòng jià zhí.
    This plant has high medicinal value.
  • 药用。
    yào yòng Zhí wù xū yào tè shū de zhòng zhí fāng fǎ.
    Medicinal plants require special cultivation methods.
  • 药用，。
    yào yòng Jiǔ jīng bù néng hē, zhǐ néng wài yòng.
    Medicinal alcohol cannot be taken internally—it's only for external use.

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.

药yàomedicine
用yònguse

药 names medicine, and 用 points to its use.

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.

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 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

用 was formed by adding a handle to an earlier form.

Open 用 →
Appears in
Medicine & Treatment

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