古方 (gǔ fāng) — ancient prescription or formula (in traditional…

Definition

A traditional Chinese medicine prescription handed down from long ago — a fixed formula, not a modern or individualized recipe.

noun

ancient prescription or formula (in traditional Chinese medicine)

Measure word · 个

古方。
Zhè wèi zhōng yī hái bǎo liú le xǔ duō gǔ fāng.
This Chinese medicine doctor still preserves many ancient formulas.
古方。
Tā àn zhào gǔ fāng pèi le yì fú yào.
He prepared a dose of medicine according to the ancient prescription.
古方。
Zhè bù yī shū shōu lù le liǎng bǎi duō gè gǔ fāng.
This medical book contains over two hundred ancient formulas.

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.

古gǔancient

方fāngprescription

古 means ancient and 方 means prescription or formula, so 古方 denotes an ancient prescription.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

One reading of 古 sees a shield-like shape above an open mark, showing strength and firmness. Another sees a person spitting out bad-tasting food.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.