御医 (yù yī) — imperial physician | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Official physician to the emperor in imperial China, attached to the palace. Read 御 here as 'imperial' (as in 御花园), not the verb sense of 驾御.

noun

imperial physician

Measure word · 位

，御医。
Zài qīng cháo, yù yī fù zé zhì liáo huáng dì de jí bìng.
In the Qing dynasty, imperial physicians were responsible for treating the emperor's illnesses.
御医。
Zhè bù diàn shì jù lǐ de yù yī yī shù hěn gāo míng.
The imperial physician in this TV drama is very skilled in medicine.
御医。
Gǔ dài yù yī de zhěn duàn fāng fǎ fēi cháng dú tè.
Ancient imperial physicians' diagnostic methods were very unique.

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.

御yùimperial

御 refers to the imperial court and 医 means doctor; together they mean an imperial physician.

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

卩卩jiékneeling person

Sound part声符shēngfú

午

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

The form combines 午 and 卩, a kneeling person; walking signs add action, and the whole form means govern.

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.

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