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针灸 (zhēn jiǔ) — acupuncture and moxibustion (a traditional Chinese medical therapy)

Definition

Traditional Chinese medical therapy that treats illness by inserting thin needles (针) and burning moxa on the body (灸). It is a standard treatment method, not a casual wellness term.

noun
acupuncture and moxibustion (a traditional Chinese medical therapy)

Examples

  • 针灸。
    Wǒ mā ma měi gè xīng qī dōu qù zuò zhēn jiǔ.
    My mother goes for acupuncture every week.
  • 针灸。
    zhēn jiǔ Zài zhōng guó yǐ jīng yǒu jǐ qiān nián de lì shǐ le.
    Acupuncture has a history of several thousand years in China.
  • 针灸。
    Yī shēng jiàn yì tā yòng zhēn jiǔ zhì liáo yāo téng.
    The doctor recommended he use acupuncture to treat his back pain.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

针zhēnneedle
灸jiǔmoxibustion

针 'needle' and 灸 'moxibustion' combine as two related treatment methods.

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 針; 针 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
釒Written in full as金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
十
十shí針zhēn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 針 puts 釒, the metal side, beside 十, which gives the sound; 针 is a simplified shorthand.

Open 针 →

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
火火huǒ
Sound part声符shēngfú
久
久jiǔ灸jiǔ
Same sound today

灸 uses 火 (fire) for the meaning and 久 for the sound. The fire part points to moxibustion, which involves heat.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Traditional Medicine & Philosophy

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