新冠病毒
xīnguān bìngdú
The English phrase "coronavirus" is translated into Chinese as 新冠病毒 (xīnguān bìngdú).
新冠病毒 refers to a member of the Coronaviridae family. In common usage, the word 病毒 (virus) is often omitted and people simply refer to the disease or the virus as 新冠. Adding 肺炎 (pneumonia) to the end is a very common way to refer to the disease itself rather than just the virus.
Meaning: member of the family Coronaviridae (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term 新冠病毒 is a compound of 新 (new), 冠 (crown) and 病毒 (virus).
Which one should you use?
The term 新型冠状病毒 (xīnxíng guānzhuàng bìngdú) means "novel coronavirus." Additionally, 新冠肺炎 is used to refer to the disease (COVID-19 / novel coronavirus pneumonia) rather than just the virus.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hong Kong Cantonese, "coronavirus" is commonly referred to as 冠狀病毒 (gwaan1 juk1 beng6 dou6).
How do you pronounce it?
xīnguān bìngdú
Did you know?
- In digital communication, Chinese users often use the abbreviation 新冠 as a keyword tag. Because of strict internet censorship, users sometimes use homophones or modified characters to discuss the virus without triggering automated filters.
- The character 冠 in 新冠病毒 means 'crown' or 'cap', referring to the crown-like spikes of the virus. In ancient China, this same character referred to the formal headwear worn by scholars and officials.
- During the pandemic, the phrase 健康碼 ('health code') became a linguistic companion to 新冠. It refers to the digital QR codes used for tracking, a concept that has no direct equivalent in many English-speaking countries.
Examples in context
- 但隨著新冠病毒疫情的威脅，佛羅裡達州的旅遊業前景可能並不樂觀。But with the threat of a coronavirus epidemic, things might not look so sunny for Florida tourism.This sentence shows how the term is used when discussing the threat of a virus epidemic.Tatoeba #13556556 by LeviHighway, translation #8600961 by Hybrid
- 新冠病毒是什么？What's coronavirus?This sentence is a direct question asking for the definition of the virus.Tatoeba #8904341 by iiujik, translation #8610435 by Amastan
- 新冠病毒很危险的。The coronavirus is dangerous.This sentence describes the dangerous nature of the virus.Tatoeba #8854355 by iiujik, translation #8610423 by Amastan
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about news on a phone.
- 志强 Zhiqiang最近有關新冠病毒的新聞很多。Zuìjìn yǒuguān xīnguàn bìngdú de xīnwén hěnduō.There is a lot of news about the coronavirus lately.
- 佳怡 Jiayi是的，我們一定要注意防護。Shì de, wǒmen yīdìng yào zhùyì fánghù.Yes, we must make sure to take precautions.
- 志强 Zhiqiang佳怡，你戴口罩了嗎？Jiāyí, nǐ dài kǒuzhào le ma?Jiayi, are you wearing a mask?
- 佳怡 Jiayi我戴著呢，你也要小心。Wǒ dàizhe ne, nǐ yě yào xiǎoxīn.I am wearing one, you should be careful too.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
