Illustration: Liu Rui /Global Times

Chat attack

folk remedy / 偏方 / (piānfānɡ)

A: I haven't seen you in a week, has your cold gotten better?

一周不见,你的感冒好些了吗？

(yīzhōu bùjiàn, nǐde ɡǎnmào hǎoxiē le ma?)  

B: I'm much better, but I don't want to keep taking medicine.

我好多了,但是我已经不想再继续吃药了。

(wǒ hǎoduōle, dànshì wǒ yǐjīnɡ bùxiǎnɡ zài jìxù chīyào le.)  

A: Do you want to try some folk remedies for a cold?  

那你要不要尝试一些治疗感冒的偏方？

(nànǐ yàobùyào chánɡshì yīxiē zhìliáo ɡǎnmào de piānfānɡ?)  

B: What is the difference between taking medicine or using a folk remedy to treat a cold?  

治疗感冒的偏方和药物有什么区别呢？

(zhìliáo ɡǎnmào de piānfānɡ hé yàowù yǒushémme qūbié ne?) 

A: Folk remedies usually refer to methods passed among people to treat a cold that mainly use food ingredients and herbs. 

偏方一般指的是在民间流传,以食材和草药为主的缓解感冒的方法。

(piānfānɡ yībān zhǐdeshì zài mínjiān liúchuán, yǐ shícái hé cǎoyào wéizhǔde huǎnjiě ɡǎnmào de fānɡfǎ.)

B: So have you tried any folk remedies for treating a cold? I'm willing to hear about them and may give them a try. 

那你尝试过哪些对治疗感冒有效的偏方？我听听,或许可以尝试一下。

(nànǐ chánɡshì ɡuò nǎxiē duì zhìliáo ɡǎnmào yǒuxiào de piānfānɡ？wǒ tīnɡtīnɡ, huòxǔ kěyǐ chánɡshì yīxià.)

A: If you feel you have a lot of phlegm, you can try boiling pears in rock candy. This folk remedy is commonly believed to relieve heat and moisten one's lungs.

如果你感觉痰多,可以尝试用冰糖炖雪梨,这个偏方被人普遍认为有清热润肺的功效。

(rúɡuǒ nǐ ɡǎnjué tán duō, kěyǐ chánɡshì yònɡ bīnɡtánɡ dùn xuělí, zhèɡè piānfānɡ bèirén pǔbiàn rènwéi yǒu qīnɡrè rùnfèi de ɡōnɡxiào.)