调养 (tiáo yǎng) — to take good care of oneself (especially during recovery after illness); to recuperate

Definition

调养 (tiáoyǎng) means to rest and nurse oneself back to health — focused on gradual, often traditional recovery over time. It pairs naturally with 身体 and often appears in health-care contexts like 中医 or post-illness.

verb
to take good care of oneself (especially during recovery after illness)to recuperate

Examples

  • ，调养。
    Tā shēng bìng yǐ hòu, yì zhí zài jiā tiáo yǎng.
    After getting sick, he's been recuperating at home.
  • ，调养。
    Zhōng yī rèn wéi, qiū dōng jì jié yào zhù yì tiáo yǎng shēn tǐ.
    Traditional Chinese medicine believes that in autumn and winter, one should pay attention to recuperating.
  • 调养。
    Shǒu shù hòu tā xū yào yí duàn shí jiān lái tiáo yǎng.
    After surgery, he needs some time to recover.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

调tiáoregulate
养yǎngnourish

调 means regulate and 养 means nourish, together giving recuperation.

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 調; 调 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
周
周zhōu調tiáo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 調 pairs 言 (speech) with 周, which shows how it was pronounced. The simplified 调 is a later shorthand.

Open 调 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 養; 养 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 養 uses 羊 as a sound part and 食 as a meaning part.

Open 养 →

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