看病

• Pinyin: kàn bìng
• Hanzi breakdown: 看 (look at, examine) + 病 (illness) — to see about an illness

Meaning

To see a doctor; to get medical treatment. The standard expression for visiting a doctor when ill.

A verb-object compound of 看 (see, examine) and 病 (illness). Can refer to both the patient seeing a doctor and the doctor examining a patient, depending on context. 去看病 = go see a doctor; 医生看病 = the doctor sees patients.

Examples

1. 我不舒服，想去看病。 I'm not feeling well, I want to see a doctor.
2. 你应该去医院看病。 You should go to the hospital to see a doctor.
3. 看病要带医保卡。 You need to bring your medical insurance card to see the doctor.

Usage Guide

Context: health, everyday

Tone: concerned

Do Say

• 你去看病了吗？(Have you been to the doctor?)
• 我明天要去看病。(I need to see a doctor tomorrow.)

Don't Say

• 我看病了感冒。(Wrong structure — say 我感冒了，去看病 or 我去看了感冒)

Origin & History

Compound of 看 (to look at, examine) and 病 (illness, disease) — to examine an illness.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal