yī yào
medicine; curative
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我正在学习中医药。
wǒ zhèngzài xuéxí zhōngyīyào.
I am studying Chinese medicine.
这家医院的医药费很贵。
zhè jiā yīyuàn de yīyào fèi hěn guì.
The medical expenses of this hospital are very expensive.
政府正在加大对医药卫生的投入。
zhèngfǔ zhèngzài jiā dà duì yīyào wèishēng de tóurù.
The government is increasing its investment in medical care and health.
药物 (yào wù)
medicine
药品 (yào pǐn)
medicine
毒药 (dúyào)
poison
疾病 (jíbìng)
disease
The Chinese word 医药 (yīyào) is a compound word consisting of two characters: 医 (yī) and 药 (yào). The character 医 originally meant "to treat an illness" or "to cure a disease". It is composed of two parts: 殳 (shū), which represents a weapon or a tool, and 殳 (yī), which represents a person. Together, they suggest the idea of using a tool to treat an illness. The character 药 originally meant "a herb" or "a medicine". It is composed of two parts: 艹 (cǎo), which represents a plant, and 酉 (yǒu), which represents wine or fermentation. Together, they suggest the idea of using plants or herbs to make medicine. When combined, the two characters 医药 form the compound word 医药, which means "medicine" or "medical treatment".
