滴眼药 (dī yǎn yào) — to put eye drops; to administer eye medicine

Definition

A separable verb meaning to put in eye drops — the object 眼药 can move between 滴 and 药, or be replaced by 次 for frequency. Used specifically for applying eye medicine, not a general verb for drops.

verb
to put eye dropsto administer eye medicine

Examples

  • 滴眼药。
    Qǐng měi tiān dī yǎn yào yí cì yǎn yào.
    Please apply eye drops once every day.
  • 滴眼药。
    Yī shēng ràng wǒ dī yǎn yào sān cì yǎn yào.
    The doctor told me to apply eye drops three times.
  • 滴眼药？
    Nǐ dī yǎn yào le ma?
    Did you put in your eye drops?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

滴dīapply drops
眼药eye medicine
眼yǎneye药yàomedicine
偏正Modifier + head

“滴” means to apply drops, while “眼药” is eye medicine, so the word describes applying drops to the eyes.

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
水水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
啻
啻chì滴dī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

滴 has 水, meaning water, on the left, and 啻 on the right, which tells how it sounds.

Open 滴 →

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
目目mùeye
Sound part声符shēngfú
艮
艮gèn眼yǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

眼 combines 目, which is an eye, with 艮, which gives the character's sound.

Open 眼 →

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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