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治疗 (zhì liáo) — to treat (an illness)

Definition

治疗 (zhìliáo) is the general verb 'to treat' an illness — broader than the specific 'visit a doctor' sense of 看. 疗养 is convalescing/recuperating, not active treatment.

verb
to treat (an illness)

Examples

  • 治疗。
    Yī shēng zhèng zài zhì liáo yí wèi bìng rén.
    The doctor is treating a patient.
  • 治疗。
    Zhè zhǒng bìng xū yào cháng qī zhì liáo.
    This disease requires long-term treatment.
  • 治疗。
    Tā de bìng bèi zhì liáo hǎo le.
    His illness was treated and cured.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

治zhìtreat
疗liáoheal

治 and 疗 both mean treat or heal, so together they refer to medical treatment.

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
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 →

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 療; 疗 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
疒疒nèdisease
Sound part声符shēngfú
尞
尞liáo療liáo
Same sound today

The traditional form 療 has 疒 for disease and 尞 for the sound; the simplified 疗 is a later shorthand, so its visible parts are not the historical ones.

Open 疗 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 51000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsMedicine & Treatment2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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