止痛 (zhǐ tòng) literally means 'to stop pain' — 止 means 'to stop, to cease', and 痛 means 'pain, ache'. Together, they form a verb meaning 'to relieve pain' or 'to alleviate pain'. It describes the action of reducing or eliminating physical discomfort, commonly used in medical contexts, such as describing medications, treatments, or procedures.

This term is frequently found on drug packaging (e.g., 止痛药 'painkiller'), in doctor-patient conversations ('这药可以止痛' — 'This medicine relieves pain'), and in health-related instructions. While it can function as a standalone verb, it’s often part of compound nouns (e.g., 止痛膏 'analgesic ointment') or used after modal verbs like 能 or 可以. It is neutral in register and appropriate for both spoken and written Chinese, especially in clinical or everyday health discussions.