Chinese Dictionary

Usage of the character 药

leaf of the iris
variant of 藥／药 (yào)

medicine
drug
substance used for a specific purpose (e.g. poisoning, explosion, fermenting)
CL:種／种 (zhǒng),服 (fù),味 (wèi)
to poison

explosive (material)

medicine
medicament
drug
chemical compound

drug-resistance (of a pathogen)

medical abortion

seasonal medication

aphrodisiac

sterilized cotton (used for medical swabs)

Western medicine

knockout drops
incapacitating agent
Mickey Finn

pharmacy
dispensary

brewer's yeast
yeast for fermenting rice wine

medication
herbal remedy

to manufacture medicine

pharmacist

to prescribe medicine

tisane
decoction (Chinese medicine)

pharmacy
drugstore

to dispense (drugs)
to prescribe

anther (pollen sack on stamen)

rat poison

to prescribe medicine
to poison
to slip a drug (into sb's drink etc)

Dioscorea polystachya
yam

to take medicine

medicaments
pharmaceuticals
medication
medicine
drug

dregs of a decoction

suppository

Chinese peony (Paeonia lactiflora)
common herbaceous peony
peony used in TCM

unprocessed medicinal herb

medical care and medicines
medicine (drug)
medical
pharmaceutical

gunpowder

herbal plaster applied to a wound

medicinal herb seedling

to decoct medicinal herbs

pharmacy

pharmacist

drugs test (e.g. on athletes)

legendary magic potion of immortals
panacea
fig. wonder solution to a problem

Yaksu in North Korea, near the border with Liaoning and Jiling province

antidote

herbal medicine

pill
CL:粒 (lì)

eye drops
eye ointment

medicinal herb

panacea

druggist

a (medicine) pill or tablet
CL:片 (piàn)

pharmacy

anesthetic

to administer medicine

to use in medicine

to make up a prescription (of herbal medicine)

laxative

medicaments
medicine
drug

medicinal effect

medicinal ingredient

medical swab

medicinal cuisine

medicinal dietary supplement that helps build up one's health

traditional Mongolian medicine (or drug)

ointment

patent medicine
medicine already made up

medicinal use
pharmaceutical

agricultural chemical
farm chemical
pesticide

good medicine
panacea
fig. a good solution
a good remedy (e.g. to a social problem)

pharmacopoeia

to take medicine

prescription

tonic

fake drugs

ammunition

(slang) to take drugs
recreational drug

myrrh (Commiphora myrrha)
also written 沒藥／没药 (mòyào)

legendary magic potion of immortals
panacea
fig. wonder solution to a problem

to take (illegal) drugs

drugs ban (e.g. for athletes)

veterinary medicines

medicinal effect

traditional Chinese medicine
CL:服 (fù),種／种 (zhǒng)

cosmeceuticals

medicine in liquid form
bottled medicine
lotion

medicine bottle

poison

anesthetic; narcotic
knockout drops

Chinese herbal medicine

myrrh (Commiphora myrrha)

pharmacology

pot for decocting herbal medicine

hallucinogen
psychedelic drug

mothicide

State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA)
abbr. for 國家食品藥品監督管理局／国家食品药品监督管理局 ( Guójiā Shípǐn Yàopǐn Jiāndū Guǎnlǐjú)

medicine made from a single herb
drug made from a single substance

spatula

(dialect) potato
rube
yokel

medical swab

erhua variant of 藥水／药水 (yàoshuǐ)

antacid

rat poison

marsh mallow (Althaea officinalis)

medicine for colds

painkiller
analgesic
anodyne

pharmacology

Japanese flag (derog.)

pharmacology

gambier extract (from Uncaria gambir), used in TCM

people who participate in clinical trials

sedative drug

drug resistance
drug tolerance (medicine)

drug resistance (medicine)

without agricultural chemicals
pesticide-free

liniment

pharmaceutical industry

generic drug; generic medicine

anti-inflammatory medicine

antibacterial

druggist
pharmacist

pharmaceutical company
drugs manufacturing factory

soporific drug

oral contraceptive

anesthetic; narcotic

(lit.) to have taken the wrong medicine
(fig.) (of one's behavior etc) different than usual
abnormal

local anesthetic

Chinese herbal medicine

Healing sutra
Bhaisajyaguru sutra

erhua variant of 藥方／药方 (yàofāng)

orphan drug

magic potion; (fig.) bewitching words or actions
knockout drug
ecstasy; MDMA

eye drops
eyewash

medicine to dispel phlegm (TCM)

Medicine Buddha (Sanskrit: Bhaisajyaguru)

effective medicine for a specific condition
highly effective medicine

ammunition dump

yàozhuāngdiàn

drugstore; pharmacy (one that offers health, beauty, and wellness products in addition to medicines – a type of store popular in Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong)

prescription drug

antidote

antipyretic (drug to reduce fever, such as sulfanilamide)

elixir of life

Li Baiyao (565-648), Tang dynasty writer and historian, compiler of History of Qi of the Northern dynasties 北齊書／北齐书

medical science

zhōngchéngyào

prepared prescription (Chinese medicine)

sleeping pill
CL:粒 (lì)

rat poison

insecticide

to apply eye drops
(fig.) to speak ill of sb
to bad-mouth

mercurochrome (antiseptic solution)

smell of gunpowder
(fig.) combative tone
belligerence

analgesic

(lit.) to have swallowed gunpowder
(fig.) to be ablaze with anger
ornery
snappy

pharmacokinetics

(coll.) to pay compensation for medical expenses

drugstore
chemist
pharmacist

generic drug; generic medicine

sedative

língdānmiàoyào

effective cure, miracle medicine (idiom); fig. wonder-cure for all problems
panacea
elixir

mázuìyàopǐn

narcotic

kàngyàonénglì

drug-resistance (of a pathogen)

kàngyìyùyào

antidepressant

Yàoshīrúlái

Medicine Buddha (Sanskrit: Bhaisajyaguru)

zhuānlìyàopǐn

patent drugs

fúyàoguòliàng

overdose of drugs

yàoyòngjiàzhí

medicinal value

jiàngxuèyāyào

antihypertensive drug

bābǎoyǎnyào

eight-jewel eye ointment (TCM)

separating medical consultation from dispensing drugs, proposed policy to counteract perceived PRC problem of "drugs serving to nourish doctors" 以藥養醫／以药养医 (yǐyàoyǎngyī)

jīngshényàowù

psychotropic drugs

yǐyàoyǎngyī

"drugs serving to nourish doctors", perceived problem in PRC medical practice

yàoshítóngyuán

lit. food and medicine come from the same source (idiom)
fig. there is no clear-cut distinction between food and medicine

see 無可救藥／无可救药 (wúkějiùyào)

lit. no antidote is possible (idiom); incurable
incorrigible
beyond redemption

yīyàoshāngdiàn

chemist
druggist
pharmacy

kàngyōuyùyào

antidepressant

huàxuédànyào

chemical ammunition

pharmaceutical company

dogskin plaster, used in TCM for treating contusions, rheumatism etc
quack medicine
sham goods

huángsèzhàyào

trinitrotoluene (TNT), C6H2(NO2)3CH3

incurable
incorrigible
beyond cure
hopeless

shēngwùdànyào

biological ammunition

yǒuyàoyǐnzhě

addict

sùjiāozhàyào

plastic explosive

liángyàokǔkǒu

good medicine tastes bitter (idiom); fig. frank criticism is hard to swallow

kàngzǔ'ànyào

antihistamine

wéijìnyàopǐn

illegal medicines

chīhòuhuǐyào

(fig.) to regret (doing sth)

fēichǔfāngyào

over-the-counter drug

yàodàobìngchú

lit. the disease is cured the moment the medicine is taken (idiom)
fig. (of a medical treatment) to give instant results
(of a solution or method) highly effective

kàngbìngdúyào

antivirals

duìzhèngfāyào

lit. to prescribe the right medicine for an illness (idiom); fig. to study a problem to find the right way to solve it
to take appropriate steps

shēngjìyīyào

biopharmaceutical
drug produced by biotechnology

duìzhèngxiàyào

lit. to prescribe the right medicine for an illness (idiom); fig. to study a problem to find the right way to solve it
to take appropriate steps

yàowùxuéjiā

pharmacologist

chuántǒngyīyào

Chinese traditional medicine

dànyàobǔjǐzhàn

弹药补给站

[彈藥補給站]

ammunition depot

huǒyàowèishènnóng

火药味甚浓

[火藥味甚濃]

strong smell of gunpowder
fig. tense situation
standoff

Guǎngdōng Yào Xuéyuàn

广东药学院

[廣東藥學院]

Guangdong Pharmaceutical University

huàntāngbùhuànyào

换汤不换药

[換湯不換藥]

different broth but the same old medicine (idiom); a change in name only
a change in form but not in substance

shìyàosānfēndú

是药三分毒

[是藥三分毒]

every medicine has its side effect

jiāochānàiyàoxìng

交叉耐药性

[交叉耐藥性]

cross-tolerance

yàodàidònglìxué

药代动力学

[藥代動力學]

pharmacokinetics

yuánzǐbàopòdànyào

原子爆破弹药

[原子爆破彈藥]

atomic demolition munition

gāonénglièxìngzhàyào

高能烈性炸药

[高能烈性炸藥]

high explosive

yàobǔbùrúshíbǔ

药补不如食补

[藥補不如食補]

the benefits of medicine are not as great as those of good nutrition

nǐ'ātuōpǐnyàowù

拟阿拖品药物

[擬阿拖品藥物]

atropinemimetic drug

chuántǒngzhōngguóyīyào

传统中国医药

[傳統中國醫藥]

Chinese traditional medicine

Guǎngzhōu Zhōngyīyào Dàxué

广州中医药大学

[廣州中醫藥大學]

Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine

shípǐnyàopǐnjiāndūjú

食品药品监督局

[食品藥品監督局]

state food and drug administration (SDA)

yàowùdàixièdònglìxué

药物代谢动力学

[藥物代謝動力學]

pharmacokinetics

Běijīng Zhōngyīyào Dàxué

北京中医药大学

[北京中醫藥大學]

Beijing University of Chinese Medicine

shíwùjíyàopǐnguǎnlǐjú

食物及药品管理局

[食物及藥品管理局]

US Food and Drug Administration authority (FDA)

Shípǐn Yàopǐn Jiāndū Guǎnlǐjú

食品药品监督管理局

[食品藥品監督管理局]

(China) Food and Drug Administration

húlulǐmàideshìshénmeyào

葫芦里卖的是什么药

[葫蘆裡賣的是什麼藥]

what has (he) got up (his) sleeve?
what's going on?

Guójiā Shípǐn Yàopǐn Jiāndū Guǎnlǐjú

国家食品药品监督管理局

[國家食品藥品監督管理局]

State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA)