膏 (gāo) - Fat, grease, ointment & fertile

膏Tone 1

gāo ｜ 14 strokes ｜ radical:

枫惠

膏 · gāo

Fat, grease, ointment;

fertile;

paste, cream;

rich, fertile soil;

to moisten, to lubricate;

to benefit.

Fat, grease, ointmentfertilepaste, cream

Usage highlights

OintmentFertile landMedicinal pasteLip balmInk pasteTo benefit the people

Synonyms

  • 脂— fat, grease
  • 腴— fertile, rich (of soil)

Antonyms

  • 瘠— barren, poor (of soil)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Apply ointment to the wound (膏药).
  • The land is fertile (膏腴).
  • He is a hard-working student burning the midnight oil (焚膏继晷).
  • This is a medicinal paste (药膏).

Collocations

  • Ointment(膏药)
  • Fertile land(膏腴)
  • Medicinal paste(药膏)
  • Lip balm(唇膏)
  • Ink paste(墨膏)
  • To benefit the people(膏泽)

Idioms

  • Burning the midnight oil(焚膏继晷)
  • The people's fat and the people's marrow(民膏民脂)
  • To anoint the lips and moisten the tongue(膏唇拭舌)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically associated with rich, fertile land, a highly valued resource in agrarian societies.
  • In traditional Chinese medicine, '膏' refers to thick medicinal pastes or plasters used for healing.
  • The character can carry a negative connotation when referring to extracted wealth or fat from the populace, as in '民膏民脂'.

FAQ