病Tone 4

bìng ｜ 10 strokes ｜ radical:

病 · bìng

Illness, disease, sickness;

to be ill;

fault, defect;

to worry about.

Illness, disease, sicknessto be illfault, defect

Usage highlights

PatientIllnessSee a doctorMental illnessHeart diseaseInfectious disease

Synonyms

疾— Illness, disease (often more acute)
患— To suffer from illness, ailment

Antonyms

康— Health, well-being
健— Healthy, strong

Usage & contexts

Examples

He went to see a doctor for his illness (看病).
She has a serious disease (重病).
The patient is hospitalized (病人住院).
He is sick with a cold (他感冒生病了).

Collocations

Patient(病人)
Illness(疾病)
See a doctor(看病)
Mental illness(精神病)
Heart disease(心脏病)
Infectious disease(传染病)

Idioms

To worry unnecessarily(杞人忧天)
To remove the root of the trouble(斩草除根)
To be sick of seeing something(司空见惯)
To be terminally ill(病入膏肓)
To be both poor and sick(贫病交加)

Cultural background

In traditional Chinese medicine, illness is seen as an imbalance of yin and yang or the five elements.
The character appears in many medical contexts and is considered inauspicious in names.
In Chinese philosophy, societal problems are sometimes metaphorically described as 'illnesses'.

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