膏 (gāo): ointment, paste, CL:帖
膏 (gāo) is a Chinese character meaning “ointment.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 高 (phonetic) and ⺼ (semantic). It ranks #2543 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 膏 flesh. Its radical form 肉 (meat) appears in many related characters such as 肉 (ròu, meat), 能 (néng, can), 背 (bèi, the back of a body or object).
Definitions
- ointment
- paste
- CL:帖
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 膏 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 膏
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 唇膏noun | chún gāo | lip balm |
| 石膏noun | shí gāo | gypsum CaSO4·2(H2O) |
| 药膏noun | yào gāo | ointment |
| 病入膏肓phrase | bìng rù gāo huāng | lit. the disease has attacked the vitals (idiom) |
| 软膏noun | ruǎn gāo | ointment |
| 膏药noun | gāo yao | herbal plaster applied to a wound |
| 油膏noun | yóu gāo | semi-solid fat-based substance |
| 橡皮膏noun | xiàng pí gāo | sticking plaster |
| 雪花膏noun | xuě huā gāo | vanishing cream |
| 民脂民膏noun | mín zhī mín gāo | lit. the fat and wealth of the people (idiom) |
| 熟石膏 | shú shí gāo | plaster of Paris |
| 生石膏 | shēng shí gāo | gypsum CaSO4·2(H2O) |
| 导热膏 | dǎo rè gāo | thermal grease |
| 狗皮膏药 | gǒu pí gāo yao | dogskin plaster, used in TCM for treating contusions, rheumatism etc |
| 膏方 | gāo fāng | medicinal concoction in paste form (TCM) |
膏 appears in 45 compound words: 16 as the first character, 64 as the last, and 20 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 膏 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (6)
dogskin plaster, used in TCM for treating contusions, rheumatism etc; quack medicine; sham goods
to be incurable as one is critically ill; to be hopeless as the situation has gone too bad
Example Sentences
膏字在不同的语境中有不同的用法。
gāo zì zài bù tóng de yǔ jìng zhōng yǒu bù tóng de yòng fǎ .
The character "膏" has different usages in different contexts.
石膏模型厅 学院美术馆还有一个我认为必看的展厅，就是石膏模型厅。
shí gāo mó xíng tīng xué yuàn měi shù guǎn hái yǒu yī gè wǒ rèn wéi bì kàn de zhǎn tīng , jiù shì shí gāo mó xíng tīng .
Plaster Cast Gallery: There’s another gallery at the College Art Museum that I consider a must-see—the Plaster Cast Gallery.
名人墓祭品好闹!曹操止痛药、他收痔疮膏
míng rén mù jì pǐn hǎo nào ! cáo cāo zhǐ tòng yào , tā shōu 痔 疮 gāo
The offerings at famous people's graves are quite a sight! Painkillers for Cao Cao, hemorrhoid ointment for him
两面针(LMZ)四味针火牙膏 120g*4支
liǎng miàn zhēn ( L M Z ) sì wèi zhēn huǒ yá gāo 1 2 0 g 4 zhī
Liangmianjin (LMZ) Four-Ingredient Toothpaste for Tooth Decay, 120g x 4 tubes
老年人子宫下垂的治疗有哪些?雌激素软膏改善阴道萎缩吗
lǎo nián rén zǐ gōng xià chuí de zhì liáo yǒu nǎ xiē ? cí jī sù ruǎn gāo gǎi shàn yīn dào wěi suō ma
What are the treatments for uterine ptosis in the elderly? Does estrogen ointment improve vaginal atrophy?
剑指男童性发育不良 长春高新“网红”软膏获批临床|速读公告
jiàn zhǐ nán tóng xìng fā yù bù liáng cháng chūn gāo xīn wǎng hóng ruǎn gāo huò pī lín chuáng sù dòu gōng gào
Pointing to boys' sexual dysplasia Changchun High-tech "Internet celebrity" ointment approved for clinical trial|Speed reading announcement
汤姆忘了买牙膏了。
Tāngmǔ wàng le mǎi yágāo le.
Tom forgot to buy toothpaste.
在哪儿我能找到牙膏？
Zài nǎr wǒ néng zhǎodào yágāo?
Where can I find toothpaste?
母亲把药膏涂在了我膝盖的伤口上。
Mǔqīn bǎ yàogāo tú zài le wǒ xīgài de shāngkǒu shàng.
Mother applied the medicine to the sore on my knee.
不能把牙膏塞回管里。
Bù néng bǎ yágāo sāi huí guǎn lǐ.
You can't put toothpaste back in the tube.
Character Family
Semantic Family — Characters sharing the ⺼ (flesh) component
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 膏 (gāo) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 膏 and 豪?
How many strokes does 膏 have?
What is the radical of 膏?
What are the components of 膏?
What are common words containing 膏?
What characters sound the same as 膏 (gāo)?
Is 膏 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 膏 with real-time feedback
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