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发病 (fā bìng) — (of a disease) to occur; (of a person) to suffer an episode of illness

Definition

发病 (fā bìng) is a clinical/formal verb meaning a disease 'breaks out' or someone 'has an episode' — more technical than 生病 ('to fall ill'), and emphasizes the onset or occurrence of the condition, not just being sick.

verb
(of a disease) to occur(of a person) to suffer an episode of illness

Examples

  • ，发病。
    Tā zuì jìn gōng zuò hěn máng, róng yì fā bìng.
    He has been busy with work lately, so he easily falls ill.
  • 。
    Qù nián tā fā le liǎng cì bìng.
    He had two episodes of illness last year.
  • 。
    Zhè zhǒng bìng yì fā bìng jiù yào mǎ shàng chī yào.
    Once this disease occurs, you need to take medicine right away.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

发fābring on; occur
病bìngillness

The first part means to bring on or occur, and the second means illness, so together it describes an illness starting or a person falling ill.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

Open 发 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Illness & Symptoms

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