Chinese word

眼药水

Pronunciation

Pinyinyǎn yào shuǐ

Meaning

nouneye drops

Example

我眼睛红了，能借点眼药水吗？wǒ yǎn jīng hóng le néng jiè diǎn yǎn yào shuǐ ma

My eyes are red. Could I borrow some eye drops?

More examples

他眼睛红了，我给他滴了点眼药水。tā yǎn jīng hóng le wǒ gěi tā dī le diǎn yǎn yào shuǐ

His eyes were red, so I put some eye drops in them.

Core concept

Medicine prepared in liquid form reaches the eye directly instead of being taken as a pill or applied as a cream.

Common phrases

滴眼药水dī yǎn yào shuǐ
put in eye drops
买眼药水mǎi yǎn yào shuǐ
buy eye drops
借眼药水jiè yǎn yào shuǐ
borrow eye drops

Similar words

眼药yǎn yào: Medicine used to treat eye problems or relieve eye symptoms.
眼药膏yǎn yào gāo: Ointment applied to the eyes to treat or relieve eye problems.
药水yào shuǐ: A general term for medicine in liquid form.

Definition in Chinese

用于滴入眼睛的液体药物，用来治疗或缓解眼部不适。yòng yú dī rù yǎn jīng de yè tǐ yào wù yòng lái zhì liáo huò huán jiě yǎn bù bú shì

Word origin

The three-character compound 眼 (yǎn, "eye") + 药 (yào, "medicine") + 水 (shuǐ, "water") describes both the target of the medicine and its watery form.

Usage tips

Sharing a bottle can transfer germs between users, so this type of medicine is normally treated as a personal item.

Related words

眼药yǎn yàoeye medicinenoun
眼药膏yǎn yào gāoeye ointmentnoun
滴眼液dī yǎn yèophthalmic solutionnoun