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看病 (kàn bìng) — (of a patient) to see a doctor, to consult a doctor; (of a doctor) to see a patient, to diagnose/treat

Definition

看病 is a verb-object phrase meaning 'to see a doctor / consult a doctor' (patient side) or 'to see patients' (doctor side). Pairs naturally with 生病 ('to get sick') — you 生病, then go 看病.

verb
(of a patient) to see a doctorto consult a doctor(of a doctor) to see a patientto diagnose/treat

Examples

  • ，看病。
    Nǐ shēn tǐ bù shū fu, yīng gāi qù yī yuàn kàn bìng.
    You're not feeling well; you should go to the hospital to see a doctor.
  • ，。
    Wǒ zuó tiān kàn le yí cì bìng, yī shēng shuō méi shén me shì.
    I saw a doctor yesterday; the doctor said it's nothing serious.
  • 。
    Nà wèi yī shēng měi tiān yào kàn hǎo jǐ gè bìng rén.
    That doctor sees several patients every day.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

看kànsee
病bìngillness

The 看 action concerns 病, so 看病 means consulting or treating illness, not merely observing it.

Characters in this word

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

The shape 看 puts 手 (hand) over 目 (eye), showing a hand placed above the eyes to gaze into the distance.

Open 看 →

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 1Hospital & Clinic

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