<blockquote>
  <p><em>"both medicines and foods have common origin"</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>It is called <a href="http://www.n-mart.com.tw/docs/a10.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">医食同源</a>, and it is a common expression (more literary).</p>

<p>In colloquial form, it would be "医药与食物有共通的源头"</p>

<p>Medicines can be food; Food can be medicines</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-27T20:49:01.227Z
2019-09-27T20:58:42.837Z
2019-09-27T20:58:42.837Z
Tang Ho
<p>I am trying to translate the sentence</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>both medicines and foods have common origin</p>
</blockquote>

<p>into simplified Chinese using different translation apps etc. and get weirdly different answers.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-27T20:14:01.133Z
The answer is 食药同源.
user-487
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-27T22:46:18.083Z
I think the more common term is 药食同源. If you google 食药同源, most pages show 药食同源, neither 食药同源 nor 医食同源.
SLS
<translation>
How do I translate "both medicines and foods have common origin"?
# How do I translate "both medicines and foods have common origin"?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-09-27)

I am trying to translate the sentence

> both medicines and foods have common origin

into simplified Chinese using different translation apps etc. and get weirdly different answers.

**Tags:** translation
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: The answer is 食药同源.  
> **username_2**: I think the more common term is 药食同源. If you google 食药同源, most pages show 药食同源, neither 食药同源 nor 医食同源.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2019-09-27. Score: 2

> *"both medicines and foods have common origin"*

It is called [医食同源](http://www.n-mart.com.tw/docs/a10.htm), and it is a common expression (more literary).

In colloquial form, it would be "医药与食物有共通的源头"

Medicines can be food; Food can be medicines


---

