儿科

• Pinyin: ér kē
• Hanzi breakdown: 儿 = simplified from 兒, pictograph of a child; 科 = 禾 (grain) + 斗 (measure) — classification

Meaning

Pediatrics; pediatric department. The branch of medicine dealing with children's health and diseases.

In hospitals, 儿科 is the department treating patients from birth to adolescence. Related terms: 儿科医生 (pediatrician), 儿科病房 (pediatric ward), 儿童医院 (children's hospital). Colloquially, 小儿科 means 'child's play' or 'trivially easy' — something so simple it belongs in pediatrics.

Examples

1. 这家医院的儿科很有名，很多家长专门从外地带孩子来看病。 This hospital's pediatric department is very famous; many parents bring their children from other cities specifically to see doctors here.
2. 她立志当一名儿科医生，因为特别喜欢小孩子。 She's determined to become a pediatrician because she really loves children.
3. 这点小问题对他来说简直是小儿科，五分钟就解决了。 This little problem is child's play for him; he solved it in five minutes.

Usage Guide

Context: medical, hospital, colloquial

Tone: professional

Do Say

• 孩子发烧了，我们去儿科看看吧。(The child has a fever; let's go to pediatrics.)
• 这对你来说是小儿科吧？(This is child's play for you, right?)

Don't Say

• 把'小儿科'当贬义词用于专业医疗场合 (Don't use 小儿科 dismissively in serious medical contexts — in hospitals, 儿科 is a respected specialty)

Origin & History

Compound of 儿 (child) + 科 (department, branch of study). A direct calque of the medical specialty name.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal