伤病员 (shāng bìng yuán) — the sick and wounded; casualties (in a military or disaster context)

Definition

A formal/military-style term for 'the sick and wounded' (casualties), used in war and disaster reporting rather than everyday speech.

noun
the sick and woundedcasualties (in a military or disaster context)
Measure word · 名

Examples

  • ，伤病员。
    Dì zhèn hòu, hěn duō shāng bìng yuán bèi sòng dào le yī yuàn.
    After the earthquake, many of the sick and wounded were sent to the hospital.
  • 伤病员。
    Zhè jiā yī yuàn zhuān mén jiē shōu zhàn zhēng zhōng de shāng bìng yuán.
    This hospital specializes in receiving the sick and wounded from the war.
  • 伤病员。
    Jiù yuán duì zhèng zài quán lì jiù zhì shāng bìng yuán.
    The rescue team is doing its utmost to treat the sick and wounded.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

伤病sick and wounded
伤shāngwound病bìngillness
联合Side by side
员yuánperson

伤病员 joins 伤 (wound) and 病 (illness) with 员 (person), meaning sick and wounded people.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 傷; 伤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
𥏻
𥏻𥏻傷shāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 傷 shows 人, a person, and uses 𥏻 to give the sound; the simplified 伤 is a later shorthand.

Open 伤 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
疒疒nèsickness
Sound part声符shēngfú
丙
丙bǐng病bìng
Same sound today

病 pairs 疒, a sickness mark, with 丙, which gives the sound; 丙 also means fire, giving a picture of lying feverishly in bed.

Open 病 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 員; 员 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
鼎鼎dǐngding
Sound part声符shēngfú
〇
〇líng員yuán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 員, 〇 supplies the sound and 鼎 supplies the meaning; the simplified 员 is a shortened form.

Open 员 →

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