joek6 coi4藥材药材
Jyutpingjoek6 coi4
Yaleyeuhk chòih
Definition
Traditional Chinese medicinal ingredients, such as herbs or animal parts that are dried or preserved.
colloquialhealthfood
How it's used
Refers specifically to the raw, dried ingredients used in traditional Chinese medicine, often found in specialized shops with distinct wooden drawers. When discussing the ingredients in a single prescription, it is common to use the measure word 味 to count each distinct type of herb included. It carries a sense of traditional health wisdom and is almost exclusively associated with slow-boiled soups or decoctions.
Measure word
mei2味méiExamples
These medicinal herbs need to be boiled for a long time to release their flavor.
Do you know where is the best place to buy medicinal herbs?
Related words
Common phrases
precious medicinal herbs
traditional Chinese medicine shop
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 西藥, which refers to Western pharmaceutical medicine. Using 藥材 to describe a pill or a modern capsule will sound very strange to a native speaker.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
