止咳 (zhǐ ké) — to stop or relieve a cough (verb-object) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A verb-object phrase meaning 'to stop/relieve a cough', used as a label on medicine, syrup, or lozenges. Compare 止 with its literal sense 'to stop' rather than as a standalone verb.

verb

to stop or relieve a cough (verb-object)

Examples

止咳。
Zhè zhǒng táng jiāng kě yǐ zhǐ ké.
This syrup can relieve a cough.
。
Wǒ chī le yì zhōu yào cái zhǐ zhù le hāi.
I took medicine for a week before the cough finally stopped.
止咳。
Yī shēng gěi wǒ kāi le zhǐ ké de yào.
The doctor prescribed me cough medicine.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

止 means stop and 咳 means cough, giving the idea of stopping a cough.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

止 was drawn as a footprint pointing up, with three toes and a sole, originally showing a foot.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

口亥咳

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

亥

亥hài咳hāi

Same sound today

咳 combines 口, which points to the mouth or a sound made with it, and 亥, which gives the character its sound.

Appears in

Illness & Symptoms Medicine & Treatment

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