🏥 Chinese Health & Body Vocabulary
Body parts, symptoms, hospital phrases, and how to navigate the Chinese medical system when you're sick and your Chinese is failing you.
Navigating Chinese Healthcare
Chinese hospitals: register first, see doctor second
The flow at a Chinese hospital goes: 挂号 (register, pay fee, get number) → wait until your number is called → see doctor → pay for tests/medicine at separate payment window → get tests done or pick up medicine → return to doctor with results. Each step happens at a different window or floor. There's no central check-in. Bring a Chinese speaker if you can — the system is efficient once you know it but bewildering the first time.
Pharmacies: two kinds, different rules
There are hospital pharmacies (医院药房) and retail pharmacies (药店). Hospital pharmacies only fill prescriptions from that hospital's doctors. Retail pharmacies can sell many common medications without a prescription — antibiotics technically require one but enforcement varies. Pharmacists at retail chains like 老百姓 (Lǎobǎixìng) are usually helpful and will recommend medications based on symptoms if you can describe what's wrong. For anything serious, go to a hospital, not a retail pharmacy.
Body Parts
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 身体 | shēntǐ | body | — |
| 头 | tóu | head | — |
| 脸 | liǎn | face | — |
| 眼睛 | yǎnjīng | eye | — |
| 耳朵 | ěrduo | ear | — |
| 鼻子 | bízi | nose | — |
| 嘴巴 | zuǐbā | mouth | — |
| 手 | shǒu | hand | — |
| 脚 | jiǎo | foot | — |
| 腿 | tuǐ | leg | — |
| 背 | bèi | back (body part) | — |
| 肚子 | dùzi | belly; stomach | — |
| 心 | xīn | heart | — |
Common Symptoms
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 疼 | téng | painful; hurts | 身体部位 + 疼 = that part hurts. 头疼 = headache, 肚子疼 = stomachache. This is the single most useful medical word — you can describe almost any symptom by pointing and saying [body part] + 疼. |
| 感冒 | gǎnmào | common cold; to catch a cold | — |
| 发烧 | fāshāo | to have a fever | Literally 'emit burn.' 我发烧了 = I have a fever. Chinese pharmacies will often check your temperature before selling certain medications. |
| 咳嗽 | késou | to cough | — |
| 头疼 | tóuténg | headache | — |
| 肚子疼 | dùzi téng | stomachache | — |
| 过敏 | guòmǐn | allergy; allergic | 我对花生过敏 = I'm allergic to peanuts. If you have food allergies, learn this word and carry a translation card. Food allergy awareness is lower in China than in the West. |
| 不舒服 | bù shūfu | uncomfortable; not feeling well | The all-purpose phrase for 'I don't feel well.' More useful than specific symptom words when you're not sure what's wrong. |
Hospital & Pharmacy
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 医院 | yīyuàn | hospital | — |
| 医生 | yīshēng | doctor | — |
| 护士 | hùshi | nurse | — |
| 药 | yào | medicine; drug | — |
| 药店 | yàodiàn | pharmacy | — |
| 挂号 | guàhào | to register (at a hospital) | This is Step 1 at every Chinese hospital. You go to the 挂号窗口 (registration window), pay a small fee (usually 10-50 yuan), and get a number. Without 挂号, no doctor will see you. Apps like 微信 can do this in advance at some hospitals. |
| 内科 | nèikē | internal medicine department | For general illness: colds, fevers, stomach issues. This is usually the department you want if you don't know what's wrong. |
| 外科 | wàikē | surgery department | For injuries, fractures, cuts. Anything external or requiring surgical intervention. |
| 急诊 | jízhěn | emergency room; emergency treatment | For serious, urgent conditions. Chinese ERs can be chaotic — bring a Chinese-speaking friend if possible. |
Health & Wellness
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 健康 | jiànkāng | healthy; health | — |
| 运动 | yùndòng | exercise; sports | — |
| 休息 | xiūxi | to rest | — |
| 累 | lèi | tired | — |
| 压力 | yālì | pressure; stress | 心理压力 = psychological stress. Mental health vocabulary is less developed in everyday Chinese than physical health vocabulary, though this is changing rapidly among younger people. |
| 保险 | bǎoxiǎn | insurance | 医疗保险 = health insurance. If you're living in China, get health insurance. Hospital costs without it can be surprisingly high for foreigners. |
Health vocabulary is spread across HSK 2–5. Find words by level at HSK Vocabulary.