bìng: 病 - Sickness, Illness, Disease, Fault

• 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.

• 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.

• 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)`.

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.

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 1:
  • 我好像生病了，头有点疼。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ hǎoxiàng shēngbìng 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 kànbìng.
  • 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: Jīngshénbìng yěshì yī zhǒng xūyào guānzhù de jíbìng.
  • 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 bìngjià.
  • 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 máobìng 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 máobìng.
  • 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 bìngrén 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.

• 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?”.

• 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`.