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毛病 (máo bìng) — fault, defect, problem (with a machine, system, or person); ailment, illness (colloquial)

Definition

毛病 is a colloquial word for both a 'fault/defect' (in a person or thing) and a minor 'ailment' (身体有点毛病). For serious machine breakdowns, prefer 故障.

noun
faultdefectproblem (with a machine, system, or person)ailmentillness (colloquial)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，。
    Zhè tái diàn nǎo jīng cháng chū máo bìng, xū yào xiū yí xià.
    This computer often has problems; it needs to be fixed.
  • 毛病。
    Tā zhè ge rén zuì dà de máo bìng jiù shì tài cū xīn.
    His biggest fault is being too careless.
  • 毛病，。
    Wǒ zuì jìn wèi yǒu diǎn máo bìng, xiǎng qù yī yuàn kàn kàn.
    I've been having some stomach trouble lately; I want to go to the hospital.

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.

毛máosmall or rough
病bìngillness

毛病 pairs 毛, small or rough, with 病, illness, to name a fault or ailment.

Characters in this word

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

毛 is drawn as a feather or hair, with its strokes tracing the shape of the feather or hair.

Open 毛 →

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
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