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主治 (zhǔ zhì) — to be in charge of (a patient's) treatment; to serve as the attending physician

Definition

主治 means 'to be the attending physician for' — the doctor in charge of a patient's treatment. Used in medical contexts only, as in 主治医生 ('attending doctor').

verb
to be in charge of (a patient's) treatmentto serve as the attending physician

Examples

  • 主治。
    Tā zhǔ zhì zhè ge bìng rén yǐ jīng sān nián le.
    He has been the attending physician for this patient for three years.
  • 主治。
    Zhè wèi yī shēng zhǔ zhì hū xī xì tǒng jí bìng.
    This doctor specializes in treating respiratory system diseases.
  • 主治。
    Yī yuàn ān pái tā zhǔ zhì zhè ge fù zá bìng lì.
    The hospital assigned him to be in charge of this complex case.

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.

主zhǔmain
治zhìtreat

主 means main and 治 means treat, together giving primary treatment.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The old forms that became 主 showed a lamp or torch with a flame at the top; other forms showed wood on fire or a spirit tablet.

Open 主 →

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
台
台tái治zhì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

治 has 水 (water) and 台; 台 gives the sound, and the character named a river.

Open 治 →
Appears in
Hospital & ClinicMedicine & Treatment

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