瘵 (zhài) - Illness, disease, consumption (especially referring to tuberculosis or & sickness

瘵Tone 4

zhài ｜ 16 strokes ｜ radical:

悦丈

瘵 · zhài

Illness, disease, consumption (especially referring to tuberculosis or wasting diseases);

sickness;

ailment.

Illness, disease, consumption (especially referring to tuberculosis orsicknessailment.

Usage highlights

Consumption diseaseChronic illnessTreat illnessEpidemic sicknessVarious diseasesIllness and suffering

Synonyms

  • 病— illness, disease
  • 疾— sickness, ailment
  • 痨— consumption, tuberculosis
  • 疴— chronic illness

Antonyms

  • 健— healthy, robust
  • 康— health, wellness

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He died of consumption (瘵疾).
  • The patient suffers from a chronic disease (痼瘵).
  • Treating various illnesses (治诸瘵).
  • The epidemic caused widespread sickness (疫瘵).

Collocations

  • Consumption disease(瘵疾)
  • Chronic illness(痼瘵)
  • Treat illness(治瘵)
  • Epidemic sickness(疫瘵)
  • Various diseases(诸瘵)
  • Illness and suffering(瘵疴)

Idioms

  • Suffering from illness and hardship(瘵瘼缠身)
  • Afflicted by consumption(痨瘵侵身)
  • Beset by disease and calamity(瘵疢交攻)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically referred specifically to tuberculosis (consumption), a major cause of death in pre-modern China.
  • Appears in classical medical texts describing wasting diseases and chronic conditions.
  • Considered an archaic term in modern medical contexts, replaced by more specific disease names.

FAQ