中毒

• Pinyin: zhòng dú
• Hanzi breakdown: 中 (zhòng) = to hit/be struck; 毒 = 母 (mother) + 毐, meaning poison

Meaning

To be poisoned; poisoning. The state of having harmful substances in one's body.

Can be physical (food poisoning) or metaphorical (addicted/obsessed). Common phrases: 食物中毒 (food poisoning), 煤气中毒 (carbon monoxide poisoning). Informal usage: 中毒太深 (deeply addicted, as to a hobby).

Examples

1. 他因为吃了不新鲜的海鲜而食物中毒了。 He got food poisoning from eating stale seafood.
2. 冬天使用煤气取暖要注意防止中毒。 When using gas heating in winter, be careful to prevent poisoning.
3. 她对这款游戏简直中毒太深了。 She's practically addicted to this game.

Usage Guide

Context: health, safety, colloquial

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 小心食物中毒。(Be careful of food poisoning.)
• 他对追剧中毒了。(He's addicted to binge-watching shows.)

Don't Say

• 中毒了毒药 (Redundant structure — say 被毒药毒了 or just 中毒了)

Origin & History

Verb-object compound of 中 (to hit, be struck by) and 毒 (poison). To be struck by poison.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal