止渴 literally means 'to stop thirst' — combining 止 (zhǐ), meaning 'to stop' or 'to cease', and 渴 (kě), meaning 'thirst'. Together, the phrase expresses the action of relieving or quenching thirst, often in a physical or metaphorical sense. It is commonly used in formal, literary, or medical contexts rather than casual speech.

This term frequently appears in traditional Chinese medicine, health discussions, and idiomatic expressions — for example, in the idiom 望梅止渴 ('to quench thirst by imagining plums'), which illustrates psychological relief without actual action. While modern spoken Mandarin often uses simpler verbs like 解渴 (jiě kě) or 喝水 (hē shuǐ), 止渴 retains its place in written language, prescriptions, and descriptive prose where precision and elegance are valued.