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病 [2025/08/04 17:48] – created xiaoer病 [Unknown date] (current) – removed - external edit (Unknown date) 127.0.0.1
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-====== bìng: 病 - Sickness, Illness, Disease, Fault ====== +
-===== Quick Summary ===== +
-  * **Keywords:** bing, 病, Chinese illness, sick in Chinese, to be sick Chinese, disease in Chinese, get sick Chinese, shengbing, kanbing, Chinese medicine, Chinese character for sick, what is bing +
-  * **Summary:** Learn the essential Chinese character 病 (bìng), the foundation for all words related to sickness, illness, and disease. This page breaks down how to use 病 in common phrases like 生病 (shēngbìng - to get sick) and 看病 (kànbìng - to see a doctor), explores its cultural significance in the context of Chinese medicine, and even covers its metaphorical use for "faults" or "problems." This is a complete guide for beginners to understand and use 病 (bìng) correctly in modern conversation. +
-===== Core Meaning ===== +
-  * **Pinyin (with tone marks):** bìng +
-  * **Part of Speech:** Noun, Verb +
-  * **HSK Level:** HSK 2 +
-  * **Concise Definition:** Sickness, illness, disease; to fall ill. +
-  * **In a Nutshell:** 病 (bìng) is the cornerstone concept for being unwell in Chinese. If you're feeling sick, have a disease, or need to see a doctor, this character will almost always be involved. Think of it as the English "sickness" or "illness." Beyond physical health, it can also be used metaphorically to describe a fault, a defect, or a bad habit, like a "sickness" in a system or a person's character. +
-===== Character Breakdown ===== +
-  * **病** is a phono-semantic compound character, which means one part gives the meaning and the other gives the sound. +
-  * **Radical (Meaning):** The `疒` (nè) on the outside is the "sickness radical." It's a stylized depiction of a person lying down on a bed (the top line is the head, the box is the body/bed). Any character containing `疒` is almost certainly related to a disease or medical condition. +
-  * **Phonetic (Sound):** The component inside, `丙` (bǐng), originally had its own meaning but here primarily provides the pronunciation. +
-  * **How they combine:** The `疒` radical immediately tells you the character's meaning is related to being unwell. The `丙` (bǐng) component clues you into the pronunciation, which evolved into `bìng`. So, `sickness radical + "bing" sound = 病 (bìng)`. +
-===== Cultural Context and Significance ===== +
-In Chinese culture, the concept of 病 (bìng) is deeply intertwined with principles of balance from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). While Western medicine often views illness as an external attacker (like a virus or bacteria) to be "fought," TCM traditionally sees 病 as a sign of internal imbalance, specifically between **yin (阴)** and **yang (阳)**. +
-This is reflected in the common phrase for "seeing a doctor," which is **看病 (kànbìng)**—literally "to look at the sickness." This suggests a more holistic, observational approach where the doctor assesses the entire state of the patient to identify the root imbalance, rather than just targeting symptoms. +
-Therefore, when a Chinese person talks about their 病 (bìng), they might be thinking less about a "battle" and more about "restoring harmony" (调理 - tiáolǐ). This cultural viewpoint also means that diet, rest, and emotional state are considered integral parts of both the cause and cure of a 病. It's a more integrated view of mind-body health compared to the often-separate treatment of physical and mental health in the West. +
-===== Practical Usage in Modern China ===== +
-病 (bìng) is an extremely common and versatile character used in many contexts. +
-  * **As a Noun for "Illness/Disease":** +
-    It can stand alone to mean "disease." +
-    `这种病很难治。 (Zhè zhǒng bìng hěn nán zhì.)` - This kind of disease is hard to cure. +
-  * **In Verb-Object Compounds (Most Common Usage):** +
-    This is how you'll hear it most often in daily conversation. +
-    `生病 (shēngbìng)` - to get sick / fall ill (lit. "to birth a sickness"+
-    `看病 (kànbìng)` - to see a doctor (lit. "to look at a sickness"+
-  * **As a Verb for "To be Sick":** +
-    Used with `了 (le)` to indicate a change of state. +
-    `他病了。 (Tā bìng le.)` - He got sick / He is sick. +
-  * **Metaphorical Usage for "Fault/Problem":** +
-    In the word `毛病 (máobìng)`, it refers to a fault, defect, or bad habit. +
-    `我的电脑有毛病了。 (Wǒ de diànnǎo yǒu máobìng le.)` - My computer has a problem. +
-  * **As an Insult (Informal/Rude):** +
-    The phrase `你有病啊? (Nǐ yǒu bìng a?)` does **not** mean "Are you sick?". It's a common, aggressive insult equivalent to "Are you crazy?" or "What's wrong with you?". Use with extreme caution. +
-===== Example Sentences ===== +
-  * **Example 1:** +
-    * 我好像生**病**了,头有点疼。 +
-    * Pinyin: Wǒ hǎoxiàng shēng**bìng** le, tóu yǒudiǎn téng. +
-    * English: I think I'm getting sick, my head hurts a little. +
-    * Analysis: This uses the most common phrase, `生病 (shēngbìng)`, to state that you're falling ill. It's the standard way to express this. +
-  * **Example 2:** +
-    * 你应该去医院看**病**。 +
-    * Pinyin: Nǐ yīnggāi qù yīyuàn kàn**bìng**. +
-    * English: You should go to the hospital to see a doctor. +
-    * Analysis: `看病 (kànbìng)` is the set phrase for a medical consultation. Notice you don't say "看医生" (kàn yīshēng - look at the doctor), you say you're going to "look at the sickness." +
-  * **Example 3:** +
-    * 他得了什么**病**? +
-    * Pinyin: Tā dé le shénme **bìng**? +
-    * English: What illness did he get? +
-    * Analysis: Here, `病` is a noun. `得病 (dé bìng)` is another common way to say "to contract an illness," often used when asking about a specific diagnosis. +
-  * **Example 4:** +
-    * 他**病**得很重,已经住院一个星期了。 +
-    * Pinyin: Tā **bìng** de hěn zhòng, yǐjīng zhùyuàn yī ge xīngqī le. +
-    * English: He is very seriously ill; he has already been hospitalized for a week. +
-    * Analysis: This shows how to use `病` as a verb with a degree complement (`得很重 - de hěn zhòng`) to describe the severity of the illness. +
-  * **Example 5:** +
-    * 精神**病**也是一种需要关注的疾**病**。 +
-    * Pinyin: Jīngshén**bìng** yěshì yī zhǒng xūyào guānzhù de jí**bìng**. +
-    * English: Mental illness is also a type of disease that requires attention. +
-    * Analysis: This shows `病` used in compound words for specific conditions. `精神病 (jīngshénbìng)` is mental illness and `疾病 (jíbìng)` is a more formal term for disease. +
-  * **Example 6:** +
-    * 我今天不舒服,所以请了**病**假。 +
-    * Pinyin: Wǒ jīntiān bù shūfu, suǒyǐ qǐng le **bìng**jià. +
-    * English: I'm not feeling well today, so I took sick leave. +
-    * Analysis: `病假 (bìngjià)` means "sick leave," a very practical term for work or school. +
-  * **Example 7:** +
-    * 这台打印机的老毛**病**又犯了。 +
-    * Pinyin: Zhè tái dǎyìnjī de lǎo máo**bìng** yòu fàn le. +
-    * English: This printer's old problem has acted up again. +
-    * Analysis: `毛病 (máobìng)` is a brilliant example of the metaphorical use of `病`. `老毛病 (lǎo máobìng)` is a recurring problem or a chronic, minor ailment. +
-  * **Example 8:** +
-    * 他有爱迟到的毛**病**。 +
-    * Pinyin: Tā yǒu ài chídào de máo**bìng**. +
-    * English: He has a bad habit of being late. +
-    * Analysis: This demonstrates `毛病 (máobìng)` being used to describe a personal flaw or bad habit, framing it as a kind of "defect." +
-  * **Example 9:** +
-    * 这个**病**人需要马上手术。 +
-    * Pinyin: Zhège **bìng**rén xūyào mǎshàng shǒushù. +
-    * English: This patient needs surgery immediately. +
-    * Analysis: `病人 (bìngrén)` is the standard word for a patient, literally a "sick person." +
-  * **Example 10:** +
-    * 你有**病**啊?为什么要那样做? +
-    * Pinyin: Nǐ yǒu **bìng** a? Wèishéme yào nàyàng zuò? +
-    * English: Are you nuts? Why would you do that? +
-    * Analysis: A critical example of the informal, insulting usage of `有病 (yǒu bìng)`. This is not a sincere question about health but an expression of frustration or disbelief at someone's foolish actions. +
-===== Nuances and Common Mistakes ===== +
-  * **病 (bìng) vs. 疼 (téng) / 痛 (tòng):** A common mistake for beginners is to confuse being sick with being in pain. +
-    * `病 (bìng)` is the overall state of illness (e.g., having the flu, having cancer). +
-    * `疼 (téng)` and `痛 (tòng)` refer to the specific sensation of pain or an ache (e.g., `头疼` - headache, `肚子疼` - stomachache). +
-    * You can have a `病` without `疼` (like high blood pressure), and you can have `疼` without a serious `病` (like a stubbed toe). +
-  * **Don't say "我很病":** Unlike English, you cannot use adverbs like `很 (hěn)` to modify `病` directly when it's a verb. +
-    * **Incorrect:** 我很病。 (Wǒ hěn bìng.) +
-    * **Correct:** 我病得很重。 (Wǒ bìng de hěn zhòng.) - "I am very sick." (lit. "I am sick to a heavy degree."+
-    * **Correct:** 我病了。 (Wǒ bìng le.) - "I am sick." +
-  * **"你有病啊?" is an insult:** Never use `你有病吗? (Nǐ yǒu bìng ma?)` to genuinely ask if someone is sick. It will be interpreted as rude. To ask politely, say `你不舒服吗? (Nǐ bù shūfu ma?)` - "Are you not feeling well?" or `你生病了吗? (Nǐ shēngbìng le ma?)` - "Did you get sick?"+
-===== Related Terms and Concepts ===== +
-  * [[生病]] (shēngbìng) - The most common verb-object phrase meaning "to get sick." +
-  * [[看病]] (kànbìng) - To see a doctor. +
-  * [[毛病]] (máobìng) - A fault, defect, problem, or minor ailment/bad habit. +
-  * [[病人]] (bìngrén) - A patient; a sick person. +
-  * [[病毒]] (bìngdú) - A virus (lit. "sickness poison"). +
-  * [[疾病]] (jíbìng) - A more formal or technical noun for "disease" or "illness." +
-  * [[疼]] (téng) - Pain, ache. A symptom of a `病`. +
-  * [[健康]] (jiànkāng) - Health; the direct antonym of being in a state of `病`. +
-  * [[医院]] (yīyuàn) - Hospital. The primary place you go to `看病`. +
-  * [[医生]] (yīshēng) - Doctor. The person who diagnoses and treats your `病`.+