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阿司匹林 (ā sī pǐ lín) — aspirin

Definition

noun
aspirin
Measure word · 片

Examples

  • 阿司匹林。
    Wǒ tóu téng de shí hou huì chī yí piàn ā sī pǐ lín.
    I take an aspirin when I have a headache.
  • 阿司匹林。
    Yī shēng tuī jiàn wǒ měi tiān chī yí piàn ā sī pǐ lín yù fáng xīn zàng bìng.
    The doctor recommends I take an aspirin daily to prevent heart disease.
  • 阿司匹林。
    Wǒ zài yào diàn lǐ mǎi le liǎng hé ā sī pǐ lín.
    I bought two boxes of aspirin at the pharmacy.

Origin

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
阜阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
可
可kě阿ā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The part 阜 points to a mound, and 可 gives the pronunciation; 阿 originally meant a big mound.

Open 阿 →

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

The evidence is inconclusive: one suggestion sees 司 as a mouth giving orders beside a mark of authority, another reads that mark as a hand, and another sees it as a reversed older form.

Open 司 →

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
石石shírock
Sound part声符shēngfú
乙
乙yǐ匹
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The form 匹 is often explained as 石 (rock) with 乙 giving the sound, but its original picture is uncertain.

Open 匹 →

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

林 is made of two 木 (tree) placed side by side, showing many trees together, hence a forest.

Open 林 →
Appears in
Medicine & Treatment

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