HSK Level 1

生病

shēng bìng

ill; sick; unwell

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Example Sentences

我生病了。

wǒ shēngbìngle.

I am sick.

他生病了。

tā shēngbìngle.

He is sick.

她生病了。

tā shēngbìngle.

She is sick.

Synonyms

患病 (huàn bìng)

to fall ill

得病 (dé bìng)

to get sick

生病 (shēng bìng)

to be sick

Antonyms

健康 (jiàn kāng)

healthy

康复 (kāng fù)

recover

Etymology & Components

The Chinese word 生病 (shēngbìng) for "to be sick" or "to fall ill" is composed of two characters: 生 (shēng) and 病 (bìng). The character 生 literally means "to give birth" or "to come into existence", but it can also be used in a more general sense to refer to "life" or "living things". The character 病, on the other hand, means "illness" or "disease". When these two characters are combined, they form the compound word 生病, which literally means "to give birth to illness" or "to come into existence of illness". This compound word is used to describe the state of being sick or ill.