病人

• Pinyin: bìng rén
• Hanzi breakdown: 病 = 疒 (illness radical) + 丙 (phonetic); 人 = person — a sick person

Meaning

Patient; sick person. Someone who is ill or receiving medical treatment.

Used in both medical and everyday contexts. Refers to anyone who is sick, whether at a hospital or at home. A neutral and respectful term. The word 病 (sick) + 人 (person) follows a common Chinese pattern for forming compound nouns.

Examples

1. 医院里有很多病人。 There are many patients in the hospital.
2. 医生在看病人。 The doctor is seeing patients.
3. 这个病人好多了。 This patient is much better now.

Usage Guide

Context: medical, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 病人需要休息。(The patient needs rest.)
• 医生对病人很好。(The doctor is very kind to the patients.)

Don't Say

• 直接叫别人'病人' (Don't address someone directly as 病人 — it's a third-person label, not an address form)

Origin & History

Compound of 病 (illness, sick) and 人 (person). A direct and transparent compound: a person who has an illness.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal