How to Talk About Sickness in Chinese

Everybody will get sick at one time or another in their lives. No one can avoid it; it’s a part of life. So of course, it is possible that you can get sick while you are somewhere in China. It is hard to be sick anywhere, but it is particularly hard to be sick in another country. What can make it easier is if you are able to speak the language of that country so that you can tell people how you feel so that they can help you. It is no different in China. If you can express in Mandarin if you are feeling bad, then you will be able to find get people to help you, and you can get better faster.

If you ever feel like you are getting a cold and need to talk about it to someone, below are some vocabulary words related to this kind of sickness:

打哈欠 dǎ hāqian yawn
流眼泪 liú yǎnlèi shed tears
咳嗽 késòu cough
打喷嚏 dǎ pēntì sneeze
流鼻涕 liú bítì Run at the nose

Colds are not the only kind of sickness you can get. There are so many other conditions that can make you feel bad and uncomfortable, conditions that you may need to tell someone about if you want to get well again. Below are some of these words that you will need to learn:

亚健康 yà jiànkāng Sub-health
疲劳 píláo fatigue
焦虑 jiāolǜ anxiety
健忘 jiànwàng amnesia
嗜睡 shìshuì drowsiness
胸闷 xiōngmèn Sense of suppression in the chest
头痛 tóutòng headache
易怒 yì nù irritability
失眠 shīmián insomnia

No matter what kind of sickness you have, you may feel so bad that you will need to talk to a doctor or go to a hospital. Below are some words that will come in handy if you ever need to do this:

医生 yīshēng doctors
护士 hùshì nurse
医院 yīyuàn hospital
看病 kànbìng see a doctor
挂号 guàhào Register
开药 kāi yào prescription
打针 dǎzhēn Injection
手术 shǒushù surgery
外科 wàikē Surgical department
内科 nèikē Department of medicine

More than just vocabulary words, you will need to know sentences and phrases that can help you express how sick you are feeling. Below are some phrases in Chinese that are the most common in expressing illnesses and other kinds of discomfort.

医生你好,我眼睛不舒服。(Yīshēng nǐ hǎo, wǒ yǎnjīng bù shūfú.)

Hello doctor, my eyes are not comfortable.

 

我肚子痛。(Wǒ dùzi tòng.)

My stomach hurts.

 

我晚上失眠,怎么办?(Wǒ wǎnshàng shīmián, zěnme bàn?)

I have insomnia at night, what should I do?

 

你要注意休息。(Nǐ yào zhùyì xiūxi.)

You have to rest more.

 

按时吃药。(Ànshí chī yào.)

Have medicine on time.