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诊断 (zhěn duàn) — to diagnose

Definition

诊断 is the formal medical term for a doctor examining a patient and identifying the disease — more clinical than the everyday 看病 ('see a doctor / get treated') and a broader process than 确诊 ('confirm a diagnosis').

verb
to diagnose

Examples

  • 诊断。
    Yī shēng zhèng zài gěi bìng rén zhěn duàn bìng qíng.
    The doctor is diagnosing the patient's condition.
  • 诊断，。
    Jīng guò zhěn duàn, yī shēng shuō tā xū yào duō xiū xi.
    After diagnosis, the doctor said he needs more rest.
  • 诊断。
    Yī shēng zhěn duàn tā dé le gǎn mào.
    The doctor diagnosed him with a cold.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

诊zhěnexamine
断duànjudge

诊断 combines 诊 as examine and 断 as judge to mean examine and determine a condition.

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 診; 诊 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
㐱
㐱㐱診zhěn
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 診, the left part 言 relates to speech, and the right part 㐱 gives the sound; the simplified 诊 is a later shorthand.

Open 诊 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 斷; 断 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 斷 uses 𢇍 (to cut) and 斤 (axe) together.

Open 断 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Medicine & Treatment5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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