补药 (bǔ yào) — tonic; restorative (herbal or medicinal supplement)

Definition

A Chinese-medicine tonic taken to strengthen the body or restore health, made from herbal ingredients. Differs from Western "medicine" (药) in being a supplement, not a treatment for illness.

noun
tonicrestorative (herbal or medicinal supplement)
Measure word · 种

Examples

  • 补药。
    Dōng tiān chī bǔ yào kě yǐ zēng qiáng tǐ zhì.
    Taking tonics in winter can strengthen your constitution.
  • 补药。
    Zhè zhǒng bǔ yào shì yòng duō zhǒng zhōng yào zhì chéng de.
    This tonic is made from multiple Chinese medicinal herbs.
  • 补药。
    Yī shēng jiàn yì tā měi tiān hē yì wǎn bǔ yào tāng.
    The doctor advised him to drink a bowl of tonic soup every day.

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.

补bǔnourish
药yàomedicine

补 nourishing and 药 medicine combine to mean a tonic.

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 補; 补 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
衤Written in full as衣yīclothes
Sound part声符shēngfú
甫
甫fǔ補bǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 補 shows 衤 (clothes) beside 甫, which gives the sound; the simplified 补 is a later shorthand, so its shape is not the historical breakdown.

Open 补 →

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 →

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