哮喘
xiàochuǎn
Asthma in Chinese is 哮喘 (xiàochuǎn). Wiktionary also lists 氣喘 / 气喘 (qìchuǎn).
Meaning: chronic respiratory disease (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 哮喘 | xiàochuǎn |
| 氣喘 / 气喘 | qìchuǎn |
The term refers to the chronic respiratory disease. When you need to describe the actual occurrence of an asthma attack, you should use the phrase 哮喘发作.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 哮喘 is composed of 哮 (xiào), meaning wheezing and 喘 (chuǎn), meaning panting or gasping.
Which one should you use?
哮喘 refers specifically to the medical diagnosis of asthma. In contrast, 气喘 is a more general term used to describe the physical sensation of gasping or shortness of breath.
How do you pronounce it?
xiàochuǎn
Did you know?
- The character 哮 (wheezing) contains the 'dog' radical 犬 because it originally described the sound of a dog barking or howling.
- The term 喘 (panting) is used in the phrase 喘口气 (chuǎn gè qì), which means 'to take a breather' or 'to get a moment of relief' during a stressful time.
- In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the concept of 喘 (shortness of breath) is often linked to the 'Kidney' organ's inability to 'grasp' the 'Qi' of the lungs.
Examples in context
- 我哮喘发作了。I had an asthma attack.This sentence is useful for describing an asthma attack using 哮喘.Tatoeba #9961656 by GlossaMatik, translation #326617 by CK
- 我有哮喘。I have asthma.This sentence is useful for stating that one has asthma using 哮喘.Tatoeba #10699398 by GlossaMatik, translation #5829223 by CK
- 他有哮喘。He has asthma.This sentence is useful for stating that he has asthma using 哮喘.Tatoeba #10270550 by DaoSeng, translation #8476538 by CH
- 他患有哮喘，需要经常使用药物控制病情。He suffers from asthma and needs to use medication regularly to control the condition.
- 你了解哮喘的症状吗?Do you understand the symptoms of asthma?
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
In a hospital waiting room.
- 梓涵 Zihan你是因为哮喘才来医院的吗？Nǐ shì yīnwèi xiǎochuǎn cái lái yīyuàn de ma?Are you at the hospital because of asthma?
- 浩然 Haoran是的，我的哮喘最近很不稳定。Shì de, wǒ de xiǎochuǎn zuìjìn hěn bù wěndìng.Yes, my asthma has been very unstable lately.
- 梓涵 Zihan那你要小心空气质量。Nà nǐ yào xiǎoxīn kōngqì zhìliàng.Then you should be careful about the air quality.
- 浩然 Haoran谢谢你的关心。Xièxiè nǐ de guānxīn.Thank you for your concern.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “asthma” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
