药 (yào) - Medicine & drug

药Tone 4

yào ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical:

嬿一

药 · yào

Medicine;

drug;

remedy;

substance used for treating disease or improving health.

Medicinedrugremedy

Usage highlights

Traditional Chinese medicineWestern medicinePharmacyMedicine bottleTake medicinePrescription drug

Synonyms

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • I need to take medicine (吃药).
  • Traditional Chinese medicine (中药) has a long history.
  • This is a pharmacy (药店).
  • Western medicine (西药) is also widely used.

Collocations

  • Traditional Chinese medicine(中药)
  • Western medicine(西药)
  • Pharmacy(药店)
  • Medicine bottle(药瓶)
  • Take medicine(吃药)
  • Prescription drug(处方药)

Idioms

  • No cure for stupidity(不可救药)
  • Bitter medicine cures sickness(良药苦口)
  • The medicine is not as good as the food(药补不如食补)
  • Divine medicine and wonderful doctor(灵丹妙药)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Deeply rooted in traditional Chinese medicine with thousands of years of history.
  • The character combines plant radical with 'music' component, suggesting ancient belief in harmony and healing.
  • Represents both traditional herbal remedies and modern pharmaceutical drugs in contemporary usage.

FAQ