迷魂药 (mí hún yào) — (literal) knockout drug, magic potion; (figurative) bewitching words or actions that manipulate someone; (slang) ecstasy, MDMA

Definition

A compound noun literally meaning 'soul-confusing drug.' Used literally for knockout drugs, figuratively for manipulative charm or rhetoric, and in slang for MDMA/ecstasy.

noun
(literal) knockout drugmagic potion(figurative) bewitching words or actions that manipulate someone(slang) ecstasyMDMA

Examples

  • 迷魂药，。
    Tā bèi rén xià le mí hún yào, xǐng lái hòu fā xiàn qián bāo bú jiàn le.
    He was drugged with a knockout drug and woke up to find his wallet missing.
  • 迷魂药，。
    Tā de huà xiàng mí hún yào yí yàng, ràng tā wán quán shī qù le pàn duàn lì.
    Her words were like a magic potion, making him completely lose his judgment.
  • 迷魂药。
    Jǐng fāng zài yè diàn chá huò le dà liàng mí hún yào.
    The police seized a large amount of ecstasy at the nightclub.

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.

迷魂bewitch soul
迷míbewitch魂húnsoul
动宾Verb + object
药yàodrug

迷魂 means bewitching the soul, and 药 is the drug or potion.

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
辵辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
米
米mǐ迷mí
Same sound today

迷 uses 辵, the walking part, and 米, which gives the sound.

Open 迷 →

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
鬼鬼guǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
云
云yún魂hún(r)
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

魂 is made from 鬼, the ghost component, plus 云, which supplies the sound.

Open 魂 →

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 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.