砒霜

pīshuāng

noun #24,604

Meanings

1 arsenic trioxide
2 white arsenic
3 arsenic (poison)

Characters

arsenic (mineral)

frost; white crystalline substance

Examples

砒霜是一种剧毒物质，少量即可致命。

Pīshuāng shì yī zhǒng jù dú wùzhì, shǎo liàng jí kě zhìmìng.

Arsenic is an extremely toxic substance; even a small amount can be lethal.

古代常用砒霜作为毒药。

Gǔdài cháng yòng pīshuāng zuòwéi dúyào.

Arsenic was commonly used as a poison in ancient times.

Tips

culture

砒霜 is famously used in the classic novel Water Margin (水浒传): Pan Jinlian poisons her husband Wu Dalang (武大郎) with 砒霜, one of Chinese literature's most iconic murder scenes.

Stroke Order

砒 pī

霜 shuāng