副作用 (fù zuò yòng) — side effect

Definition

noun
side effect

Examples

  • 副作用？
    Nǐ chī yào hòu yǒu méi yǒu chū xiàn fù zuò yòng?
    Have you experienced any side effects after taking the medicine?
  • 副作用。
    Zhè zhǒng yào de fù zuò yòng bāo kuò tóu tòng hé ě xīn.
    The side effects of this medicine include headache and nausea.
  • 副作用。
    Yī shēng huì gào sù nǐ kě néng de fù zuò yòng shì shén me.
    The doctor will tell you what the possible side effects are.

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.

副fùside
作用effect
作zuòdo用yònguse
联合Side by side

副 means side and 作用 means effect, naming an effect alongside the main one.

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
刂Written in full as刀dāoknife
Sound part声符shēngfú
畐
畐fú副fù
Same sound today

副 is built from 畐, which gives its sound, and 刂, a form of the knife 刀.

Open 副 →

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
乍
乍zhà作zuò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 亻 comes from 人, meaning 'person', and the right side 乍 gives the sound.

Open 作 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Medicine & Treatment

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