喷药 (pēn yào) — to spray pesticides / medicine / chemicals (especially in agriculture or gardening)

Definition

A separable verb (离合词) used mainly in farming and gardening for spraying pesticides or chemicals onto crops. The object 药 usually appears between the verb and its complement: 喷过一次药.

verb
to spray pesticides / medicine / chemicals (especially in agriculture or gardening)

Examples

  • 喷药。
    Nóng mín zài tián lǐ pēn yào.
    Farmers spray pesticides in the fields.
  • 。
    Zuó tiān yǐ jīng pēn guò yí cì yào le.
    We already sprayed once yesterday.
  • 喷药。
    Zhè zhǒng pēn yào duì hài chóng fēi cháng yǒu xiào.
    This type of pesticide spray is very effective against pests.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

喷pēnspray
药yàomedicine

喷 describes spraying, and 药 names the medicine or pesticide being sprayed.

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 噴; 喷 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
賁
賁bì噴pēn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 噴 pairs 口, mouth, with 賁 for the sound; the simplified 喷 is a later shorthand.

Open 喷 →

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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