麻黄碱 (má huáng jiǎn) — ephedrine

Definition

noun
ephedrine
Measure word ·

Examples

  • 麻黄碱
    Yī shēng gěi huàn zhě kāi le hán yǒu má huáng jiǎn de yào wù.
    The doctor prescribed medication containing ephedrine to the patient.
  • 麻黄碱
    má huáng jiǎn Cháng yòng yú zhì liáo gǎn mào yǐn qǐ de bí sè.
    Ephedrine is commonly used to treat nasal congestion caused by colds.
  • 麻黄碱
    Yùn dòng yuán yào zhù yì, má huáng jiǎn shì xīng fèn jì zhōng de jìn yòng chéng fèn.
    Athletes should note that ephedrine is a prohibited substance in stimulants.

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.

麻黄Ephedra
hemphuángyellow
联合Coordinate

麻黄 names the Ephedra plant, and 碱 names a base, giving the base found in that plant.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 黃; 黄 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
guānghuáng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 黃 pairs 田 (field) with 炗 (light), which gives the sound; the simplified 黄 is a shorthand and its parts are not historical components.

Open 黄 →

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
Sound part声符shēngfú
qiān
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

碱 combines 石 (stone) with 僉, which gives the pronunciation. The 石 part points to stone.

Open 碱 →

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