The concept of a `药房` in China is a fascinating blend of the ancient and the modern. Unlike in the West, where pharmacies are almost exclusively for modern, Western-style medicine, a Chinese `药房` often operates as two worlds under one roof. One section will look familiar to any Westerner: clean, white shelves stocked with boxes of pills, syrups, and tablets—this is the 西药 (xīyào), or Western medicine, section. Here you can buy aspirin, antibiotics (sometimes with less strict regulation than in the West), and vitamins. However, another section might feature large walls of small wooden drawers, each labeled with a character for a specific herb, root, or mineral. You might see large glass jars of ginseng, dried sea horses, or goji berries. This is the 中药 (zhōngyào), or Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), section. Here, a pharmacist might weigh out a custom prescription of various dried ingredients for you to take home and boil into a tea. Comparison with a Western “Drugstore”: A key difference is scope. An American drugstore like Walgreens or a British chemist like Boots is also a convenience store, selling snacks, cosmetics, magazines, and photo-printing services. While some larger Chinese pharmacies are expanding their offerings, the core focus of a `药房` is overwhelmingly on health and medicine. You go to a `药房` specifically for health-related products, not to grab a soda and a bag of chips.
`药房` is a term you will use frequently for practical, everyday needs.