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麻醉药 (má zuì yào) — anesthetic; narcotic

Definition

noun
anestheticnarcotic
Measure word · 种

Examples

  • 麻醉药，。
    Yī shēng gěi bìng rén yòng le má zuì yào, bìng rén hěn kuài jiù shuì zháo le.
    The doctor used anesthetic on the patient, and the patient fell asleep quickly.
  • 麻醉药，。
    Zhè zhǒng má zuì yào de xiào guǒ hěn hǎo, shǒu shù zhōng bìng rén bú huì gǎn dào téng tòng.
    This type of anesthetic works well; the patient won't feel pain during surgery.
  • 麻醉药。
    Làn yòng má zuì yào huì duì shēn tǐ zào chéng yán zhòng shāng hài.
    Abusing narcotics can cause serious harm to the body.

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.

麻醉anesthetize
麻mánumb醉zuìdrowsy
联合Coordinate
药yàomedicine

麻醉 names a numb, drowsy state, and 药 names the substance.

Characters in this word

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

麻 combines 厂 and 𣏟 to represent hemp leaves.

Open 麻 →

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
酉酉yǒualcoholic drink
Sound part声符shēngfú
卒
卒zú醉zuì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

醉 combines 酉, a sign for alcoholic drink, with 卒, which supplies the sound.

Open 醉 →

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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