病毒

• Pinyin: bìng dú
• Hanzi breakdown: 病 = 疒 (sickness radical) + 丙 (phonetic); 毒 = 毋 (do not) + 母 (variant, indicating something harmful)

Meaning

Virus. A microscopic infectious agent that can cause disease in living organisms, or a malicious computer program.

Used both in medical contexts for biological viruses and in tech contexts for computer viruses. Common compounds include 病毒感染 (viral infection), 电脑病毒 (computer virus), and 病毒传播 (virus transmission).

Examples

1. 这种病毒的传播速度非常快，我们必须采取措施控制它。 This virus spreads very quickly; we must take measures to control it.
2. 他的电脑感染了病毒，所有文件都被加密了。 His computer got infected with a virus, and all the files were encrypted.
3. 科学家们正在研究如何阻止病毒变异。 Scientists are researching how to stop the virus from mutating.

Usage Guide

Context: health, technology, science

Tone: informative

Do Say

• 你的手机可能中了病毒。(Your phone might have caught a virus.)
• 这种病毒主要通过空气传播。(This virus spreads mainly through the air.)

Don't Say

• 把细菌和病毒混为一谈——它们是不同的微生物 (Don't confuse bacteria and viruses — they are different microorganisms; bacteria is 细菌)

Origin & History

Compound of 病 (illness, disease) + 毒 (poison, toxin), literally meaning 'disease poison.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal