药草 (yào cǎo) — medicinal herbs | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

medicinal herbs

Measure word · 种

药草。
Zhè xiē yào cǎo kě yǐ yòng lái pào chá.
These medicinal herbs can be used to make tea.
药草。
Tā zài shān shàng cǎi le hěn duō yào cǎo.
He picked many medicinal herbs on the mountain.
药草。
yào cǎo Zài zhōng yī lǐ fēi cháng zhòng yào.
Medicinal herbs are very important in traditional Chinese medicine.

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 marks the medicinal purpose, and 草 is an herb.

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.

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

艹早草

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

早

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

草 pairs 艹 (grass; plant) with 早, which gives the sound. The form originally referred to another word and was later used for the grass sense.

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