病号 (bìng hào) — patient, person on a sick list (e.g., in a hosp…

Definition

病号 refers to a patient on a sick list, often in a military, school, or workplace context. It sounds more casual and collective than the clinical 病人.

noun

patientperson on a sick list (e.g., in a hospital or military unit)

Measure word · 个

病号。
Zhè ge bìng hào xū yào duō xiū xi.
This patient needs more rest.
病号。
Yī shēng měi tiān jiǎn chá měi gè bìng hào de qíng kuàng.
The doctor checks each patient's condition every day.
病号，。
Yī yuàn lǐ yǒu hěn duō bìng hào, hù shi men dōu hěn máng.
There are many patients in the hospital, the nurses are very busy.

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.

号hàonumber or entry

病 names illness and 号 is a number or entry, so the meaning is a person on the sick list.

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.

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.

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

口丂号

The shape 号 comes from 口, a mouth, and 丂, exhaled air or a tiger's cry.

Appears in