抹在皮膚上的藥膏
字面的用法，也是其他用法借畫面的來源。
noun · B2
A soft, oily cream that you rub on sore, dry or broken skin to take the pain away and help it heal.
藥膏
核心畫面
Something soft and soothing rubbed onto a sore place. It does not take the wound away; it takes the sting out of the surface — while healing happens underneath, or while nothing happens underneath at all.
可以想成在痛的地方抹上一層軟軟的藥膏。它不會讓傷口消失，只是讓表面不那麼痛。salve 的每個用法都留著這個味道：先…更多收起
可以想成在痛的地方抹上一層軟軟的藥膏。它不會讓傷口消失，只是讓表面不那麼痛。salve 的每個用法都留著這個味道：先讓那個痛好過一點，至於底下的問題有沒有解決，要看情況。From the word’s history
An old English word: Old English sealf, from Proto-Germanic salbo, with the verb sealfian beside it. German still has Salbe today, and the meaning has been 'ointment' all along.
很老的英文字：古英文 sealf，來自原始日耳曼語 *salbō，旁邊還有動詞 sealfian（抹藥）。德文今天的 Salbe 就是同一個字，意思從頭到尾都是「藥膏」。
Wiktionary extract supplied in packet (kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:868497902 and :868516702): Middle English salve < Old English sealf < Proto-Germanic *salbō; verb from Old English sealfian; cognate German Salbe.
Two branches
抹在心上的藥膏
把同一罐藥膏換個地方抹：這次痛的是面子、心情或良心。
noun · C1
Something that makes a bad feeling easier to bear — kind words, a payment, a piece of good news — spoken of as if it were cream put on a sore place.
撫慰；慰藉