病

• Pinyin: bìng
• Hanzi breakdown: 病 = 疒 (illness radical, person on a bed) + 丙 (phonetic component)

Meaning

Illness; disease; to be sick. Used both as a noun for sickness and as a verb meaning to fall ill.

As a noun, 病 refers to illness or disease in general. As a verb, it describes the state of being sick. Commonly appears in compounds like 生病 (to fall ill), 病人 (patient), and 病了 (got sick). In everyday conversation, 生病 is more natural than using 病 alone as a verb.

Examples

1. 他生病了，今天不能上课。 He is sick and can't go to class today.
2. 这个病不太严重。 This illness is not very serious.
3. 天气冷了，很多人都病了。 The weather got cold and many people fell ill.

Usage Guide

Context: health, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我生病了，想去看医生。(I'm sick and want to see a doctor.)
• 他的病好了。(He has recovered from his illness.)

Don't Say

• 说'我很病'来表示生病了。(Don't say 我很病 — say 我生病了 or 我病了 to express being sick)

Origin & History

Composed of the illness radical 疒 (representing a person lying on a bed) and the phonetic component 丙. Originally referred to a severe illness.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal