医药 (yī yào) — medicine (the field of medical care and pharmaceuticals); medicines, drugs

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

Examples

  • 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.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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.

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.

Open 医 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Medicine & Treatment

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