药食同源
yào shí tóng yuán
food and medicine share one source; many foods are also remedies
Character by character
药yào
medicine
medicine
食shí
food
food
同tóng
same
same
源yuán
source
source
Example
中医讲究药食同源，红枣、生姜这些平常的东西，用对了也能调理身体。
Chinese medicine holds that food and medicine share one source: everyday things like red dates and ginger, used rightly, can help the body back into balance.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
A tenet of Chinese medicine and food therapy (食疗), common in health writing and adverts; the official catalogue of substances that are “both food and Chinese medicinal material” is its legal form. It does not mean food can replace treatment: 是药三分毒 (lesson 2-21) is the other half of the picture.
Learn this in Lesson 136 · HSK 7–9: 一锅老火汤 (A pot of slow-cooked soup)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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