生病 (shēng bìng) — to fall ill, to get sick

Definition

A simple verb meaning 'to fall ill' — focuses on the process of getting sick, not the illness itself (use 病 for the state). Used in everyday speech.

verb

to fall illto get sick

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

生shēngcome down with

生 means to come down with and 病 means illness, so 生病 describes falling ill.

Characters in this word

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

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

疒丙病

Meaning part形符xíngfú

疒疒nèsickness

Sound part声符shēngfú

丙

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.

Appears in