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止痛药 (zhǐ tòng yào) — painkiller; analgesic

Definition

noun
painkilleranalgesic
Measure word · 种

Examples

  • ，止痛药。
    Wǒ tóu tòng dé lì hài, chī le yí piàn zhǐ tòng yào.
    I have a bad headache, so I took a painkiller.
  • 止痛药，。
    Zhè ge zhǐ tòng yào xiào guǒ hěn hǎo, dà jiā kě yǐ fàng xīn yòng.
    This painkiller works very well; everyone can use it with confidence.
  • 止痛药。
    Yī shēng jiàn yì wǒ fàn hòu chī zhǐ tòng yào.
    The doctor advised me to take the painkiller after meals.

Origin

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.

止痛stop pain
止zhǐstop痛tòngpain
动宾Verb + object
药yàomedicine

止 stop and 痛 pain form 止痛, which describes a 药 medicine.

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.

Open 止 →

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
疒疒nèillness
Sound part声符shēngfú
甬
甬yǒng痛tòng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The 疒 part means illness, and 甬 gives the sound; together they form 痛, meaning pain or hurt.

Open 痛 →

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
Medicine & Treatment

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