Meaning
药方 refers to a written prescription or formula for traditional Chinese medicine. It lists the specific herbs, ingredients, and their quantities that a doctor prescribes for treating a particular condition. The term is commonly used in the context of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) but can also refer to Western medical prescriptions.
Usage
This word is frequently heard in hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies. When seeing a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, patients receive a 药方 that they take to an herbal pharmacy to have filled. It can be used both for the physical paper prescription and the formula itself. Native speakers might say 开药方 (to write/issue a prescription) or 拿药方 (to get/fill a prescription).
Examples
- 01医生给我开了一张中药药方。.The doctor wrote me a traditional Chinese medicine prescription.
- 02请你按照药方上的说明服药。.Please take the medicine according to the instructions on the prescription.
Characters
Measure words
- 张一张药方
- 副一副药方
Common collocations
- 开药方to write/issue a prescription
- 拿药方to get/fill a prescription
- 抓药方to fill a prescription (TCM)
- 按药方according to the prescription
Origin
The word combines 药 (medicine) with 方 (method/formula). 方 in classical Chinese often referred to methods or recipes, and when combined with 药, it specifically denotes a medicinal formula or prescription.