体检

• Pinyin: tǐ jiǎn
• Hanzi breakdown: 体 = 亻(person radical) + 本 (root/origin); 检 = 木 (wood radical) + 佥 (all/agree, phonetic component)

Meaning

Physical examination; medical check-up. A routine assessment of a person's overall health status.

Required for school enrolment, job applications, and visa applications in China. A typical 体检 involves checking blood pressure, height, weight, vision, and blood test results. It is both used as a noun (a physical exam) and as a verb (to have a physical exam).

Examples

1. 公司规定每年员工都要做一次全面体检。 Company policy requires all employees to have a comprehensive physical check-up once a year.
2. 我下周要去医院体检，全面检查一下身体状况。 I need to go to the hospital next week for a physical to check on my overall health.
3. 入学前学生需要提交体检报告，证明身体健康。 Before enrolment, students need to submit a physical examination report proving they are healthy.

Usage Guide

Context: health, workplace, education

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 年度体检可以帮助早期发现健康问题。(Annual check-ups can help detect health issues at an early stage.)
• 他去医院做了入职体检，结果一切正常。(He went to the hospital for a pre-employment physical; the results were all normal.)

Don't Say

• 我去做了身体检查体检。(Don't say 身体检查体检 — 体检 already means physical examination; simply say 我去做了体检.)

Origin & History

Compound of 体 (body) and 检 (to inspect/examine), together meaning 'to inspect the body.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal