医药 (yī yào) — medicine (the field of medical care and pharmac…

Definition

医药 refers to medicine as a field — medical care plus the drugs/industry, e.g. 医药行业 or 医药公司. Use 药 or 药物 when you mean the substance itself.

noun

medicine (the field of medical care and pharmaceuticals)medicinesdrugs

Measure word · 种

医药。
Tā dà xué xué de shì yī yào zhuān yè.
He studied medicine in university.
医药。
Zhè jiā yī yào gōng sī shēng chǎn xīn yào.
This pharmaceutical company produces new medicines.
医药。
Guó jiā duì yī yào háng yè yǒu yán gé guī dìng.
The state has strict regulations on the pharmaceutical industry.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

医yīmedical care

药yàomedicine

医 and 药 stand together for healing and drugs, so they cover medical care and medicines.

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 醫; 医 is its simplified writing.

殹酉醫

Meaning part形符xíngfú

酉酉yǒuliquor

Sound part声符shēngfú

殹

殹yì醫yī

Same sound today

The traditional form 醫 pairs 酉 (liquor) with 殹 as a sound part; the simplified 医 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical ones.

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.

Appears in