Chinese word

软膏

Pronunciation

Pinyinruǎn gāo

孩子的皮肤红了，我给他抹了软膏。hái zi de pí fū hóng le wǒ gěi tā mǒ le ruǎn gāo

The child's skin turned red, so I applied ointment to his skin.

医生说伤口消毒后再涂软膏。yī shēng shuō shāng kǒu xiāo dú hòu zài tú ruǎn gāo

The doctor said to apply ointment after disinfecting the wound.

A soft, spreadable medicine that forms a layer on the skin.

药膏yào gāo: A general term for soft medicine used on the skin.
乳膏rǔ gāo: A smooth cream-like medicine applied to the skin.

一种用于皮肤外用的半固体药物，质地较软，便于涂抹和吸收。yì zhǒng yòng yú pí fū wài yòng de bàn gù tǐ yào wù zhì dì jiào ruǎn biàn yú tú mǒ hé xī shōu

软 (ruǎn, "soft") + 膏 (gāo, "salve") forms a name for a soft salve that is spread on the skin.

In everyday Chinese, this noun normally goes with a verb meaning "spread" or "apply" rather than a verb meaning "take," which keeps its skin use clear.