催眠药 (cuī mián yào) — sleeping pill, soporific, hypnotic drug

Definition

noun
sleeping pillsoporifichypnotic drug
Measure word · 种

Examples

  • 催眠药。
    Yī shēng gěi tā kāi le yì xiē cuī mián yào.
    The doctor prescribed him some sleeping pills.
  • 催眠药。
    Cháng qī fú yòng cuī mián yào huì chǎn shēng yī lài xìng.
    Long-term use of sleeping pills can lead to dependence.
  • 催眠药。
    Zhè zhǒng cuī mián yào de fù zuò yòng hěn dà.
    This kind of sleeping pill has strong side effects.

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.

催眠hypnotize
催cuīinduce眠miánsleep
动宾Verb + object
药yàomedicine

催 and 眠 mean induce sleep, and 药 is medicine; together a medicine that induces sleep.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
崔
崔cuī催cuī
Same sound today

催 combines 亻, the person part, with 崔, which gives the sound.

Open 催 →

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
目目mùeye
Sound part声符shēngfú
民
民mín眠mián
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

眠 uses 目 (eye) to show the idea of closing the eyes, with 民 giving the sound.

Open 眠 →

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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