炮炼

炮煉

páoliàn

verb

Meanings

1 to process and refine medicinal herbs (by heating)
2 to roast and refine (TCM)

Characters

to roast (medicine)

to refine; to smelt

Examples

中药材必须经过炮炼才能入药。

Zhōngyàocái bìxū jīngguò páoliàn cáinéng rùyào.

Medicinal herbs must go through processing and refinement before they can be used in medicine.

老药师亲自炮炼这批人参。

Lǎo yàoshī qīnzì páoliàn zhè pī rénshēn.

The old pharmacist personally processes this batch of ginseng.

Tips

culture

炮炼 (or 炮制 páozhì) is a foundational technique in Traditional Chinese Medicine: drying, roasting, steaming, or stir-frying raw herbs to remove toxicity, change their thermal nature, or enhance specific actions. The 炮 here is read páo (not pào, 'cannon'), meaning 'to roast'.

mistakes

Don't confuse 炮 páo (roast, 2nd tone) with 炮 pào (cannon, 4th tone). Same character, different reading. Here it has nothing to do with weapons.

Stroke Order

炮 pào

炼 liàn