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 "illness"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "illness", including 病 (bìng), 症 (zhēng / zhèng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "illness" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 病 (bìng), 症 (zhēng / zhèng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span bìng, zhēng, zhèng — 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
Common words for these 2 "illness" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 病 (bìng) — so "illness" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
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 2 ways to say "illness".
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)
All 2 characters
Open 病、症 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.