病院 (bìng yuàn) — specialized hospital, sanatorium; often refers to a psychiatric hospital

Definition

病院 (bìngyuàn) means a specialized or sanatorium-type hospital — not a general hospital, which is 医院. In modern use it often refers to a psychiatric hospital.

noun
specialized hospitalsanatoriumoften refers to a psychiatric hospital
Measure word · 所

Examples

  • 病院。
    Tā yīn wèi yì yù zhèng zhù jìn le nà jiā bìng yuàn.
    She was admitted to that specialized hospital for depression.
  • 病院。
    Zhè jiā bìng yuàn zhī jiē shōu chuán rǎn bìng huàn zhě.
    This specialized hospital only admits patients with infectious diseases.
  • 病院。
    Xiǎo zhèn shàng wéi yī de bìng yuàn shì shàng shì jì jiàn de.
    The only specialized hospital in the small town was built in the last century.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

病bìngdisease
院yuàninstitution

病 gives disease and 院 gives institution, so the word names a hospital.

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.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阝Written in full as阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
完
完wán院yuàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

院 is built from 阝, written in full as 阜, and 完, which gives the sound.

Open 院 →

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