神农本草经

神農本草經
Shénnóng běncǎo jīng
proper noun

Meanings

  1. 1 Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica, the oldest surviving Chinese book of medicinal substances

Examples

HSK 3
《神农本草经》里一共有三百六十五种药。
《 Shénnóng běncǎo jīng 》 lǐ yígòng yǒu sānbǎi liùshíwǔ zhǒng yào.
Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica lists 365 medicines in all.
HSK 7-9
《 Shénnóng běncǎo jīng 》 bǎ yàowù fēnchéng shàngpǐn, zhōngpǐn hé xiàpǐn sān lèi.
Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica divides medicines into three grades: superior, middle and inferior.

Tips

history
Compiled in the Han dynasty and named after 神农, the legendary Divine Farmer said to have tasted a hundred plants to learn which heal and which harm. The original was lost; today's text is rebuilt from quotations in later works.
usage
Its 365 drugs, one for each day of the year, fall into three grades: 上品 nourish life and are safe to take for a long time, like 人参 ginseng; 中品 build strength and treat illness; 下品 are strong or toxic and used only to cure disease. 上品 still means 'top quality' in everyday Chinese.

Stroke Order

神 shén
农 nóng
本 běn
草 cǎo
经 jīng