慢性

• Pinyin: màn xìng
• Hanzi breakdown: 慢 = 忄 (heart) + 曼 (extend, slow); 性 = 忄 (heart) + 生 (life, character)

Meaning

Chronic; long-lasting; slow-progressing. Describes conditions that develop slowly and persist over a long period.

Primarily used in medicine to describe chronic diseases (慢性病) as opposed to acute conditions (急性). Extended to describe long-standing problems that worsen gradually, such as chronic stress or structural social issues. The opposite is 急性 (acute).

Examples

1. 慢性病患者需要长期坚持用药，并定期到医院进行复查和监测。 People with chronic illnesses need to stick with long-term medication and go to the hospital regularly for follow-up exams and monitoring.
2. 长期睡眠不足是一种慢性损耗，会对认知功能和免疫系统造成持续性损害。 Long-term sleep deprivation is a chronic drain that causes ongoing damage to cognitive function and the immune system.
3. 医生诊断他患有慢性胃炎，建议他调整饮食结构，避免辛辣刺激性食物。 The doctor diagnosed him with chronic gastritis and advised him to adjust his diet and avoid spicy, irritating foods.

Usage Guide

Context: medicine, health, analysis

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 慢性疾病的管理需要患者和医生的长期配合。(Managing chronic diseases requires long-term cooperation between patients and doctors.)
• 这是一种慢性问题，短期内很难彻底解决。(This is a chronic problem and is difficult to resolve entirely in the short term.)

Don't Say

• 把'慢性'用来形容速度缓慢或做事迟缓的人 — 形容人慢或拖拉应用'磨蹭'或'迟钝' (Don't use 慢性 to describe a person who is slow or procrastinating — use 磨蹭 or 迟钝 for that)

Origin & History

慢 (slow, gradual) + 性 (nature, character). Literally 'slow in nature,' describing conditions that develop and persist slowly.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal