病 bìng — ailment; sickness; illness; disease; fall ill; sick
他生病了，今天没来上课。Tā shēng bìng le, jīn tiān méi lái shàng kè.He is sick and did not come to class today.
Common words: 病人 (bìng rén)、生病 (shēng bìng)、看病 (kàn bìng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "disease"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "disease", including 病 (bìng), 症 (zhēng / zhèng), 疾 (jí). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "disease" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 病 (bìng), 症 (zhēng / zhèng), 疾 (jí) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span bìng, zhēng, zhèng, jí — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 病 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 病 bìngailment; sickness; illness; disease; fall ill; sickUseful words: 病人, 生病
- 症 zhēng / zhèngobstruction of bowels; disease; illnessUseful words: 症状, 癌症
- 疾 jísickness; disease; hate; envyUseful words: 疾病, 残疾
Common words for these 3 "disease" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 病 (bìng) — so "disease" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
病人bìng rénsick person; patient; invalid生病shēng bìngto fall ill看病kàn bìngto visit a doctor; to see a patient症状zhèng zhuàngsymptom (of an illness)癌症ái zhèngcancer炎症yán zhènginflammation疾病jí bìngdisease; sickness; ailment残疾cán jídisabled; handicapped; deformity on a person or animal残疾人cán jí réndisabled person
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "disease".
症 zhēng / zhèng — obstruction of bowels; disease; illness
医生很快查出了他的病症。Yī shēng hěn kuài chá chū le tā de bìng zhèng.The doctor quickly identified his illness.
Common words: 症状 (zhèng zhuàng)、癌症 (ái zhèng)、炎症 (yán zhèng)
疾 jí — sickness; disease; hate; envy
平时多锻炼可以预防疾病。Píng shí duō duàn liàn kě yǐ yù fáng jí bìng.Exercising regularly can prevent illness.
Common words: 疾病 (jí bìng)、残疾 (cán jí)、残疾人 (cán jí rén)
All 3 characters
Open 病、症、疾 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.