拉肚子
lādùzicolloquial
In Chinese, the English word 'diarrhea' is expressed as 拉肚子 (lādùzi). Wiktionary also lists 腹瀉 / 腹泻 (fùxiè) and 下痢 (xiàlì).
Meaning: medical condition (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 拉肚子 | lādùzi | colloquial |
| 腹瀉 / 腹泻 | fùxiè | |
| 下痢 | xiàlì |
The term is used to describe the medical condition of diarrhea.
What does it mean word for word?
The colloquial term 拉肚子 literally means 'to pull the belly/stomach'.
Which one should you use?
腹泻 (also written as 腹瀉) is the formal medical term, whereas 拉肚子 is the common, everyday way to say it. The term 下痢 also exists to mean diarrhea.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
拉肚子 is the most natural term for casual conversation with friends or family. In a clinical or professional medical setting, use the formal term 腹泻.
How does it change in a sentence?
When describing the onset of the condition, adding 了 after 拉肚子 indicates a change of state, such as 'I have (started to have) diarrhea'.
How do you pronounce it?
lādùzi
Did you know?
- In Chinese culture, diarrhea is often linked to the concept of 上火 ('internal heat'), and people may suggest 'cooling' the body to treat it rather than just treating the gut.
- In many Chinese dialects, people might use the term 跑厕所 (to run to the toilet) as a polite euphemism to signal they are experiencing 拉肚子 without saying it directly.
- The formal medical term 腹泻 is composed of the characters for 'abdomen' and 'to leak', treating the condition literally as a leak from the belly.
Examples in context
- 我拉肚子了。I have diarrhea.This sentence is useful for describing that you have started to have diarrhea using the form 拉肚子.Tatoeba #433940 by GlossaMatik, translation #25352 by jejda
- 您有没有腹泻的症状？(Nín yǒu méiyǒu fùxiè de zhèngzhuàng?)Do you have symptoms of diarrhea?
- 你怎么了？为什么一直拉肚子？(Nǐ zěnmele? Wèishéme yìzhí lā dùzi?)What's wrong with you? Why have you been having diarrhea all the time?
- 他因为吃坏了拉肚子。tā yīnwèi chībàile lā dùzi.He has diarrhea because he ate something bad.
- 拉肚子的时候要多喝水。lā dùzi de shíhòu yào duō hē shuǐ.You should drink more water when you have diarrhea.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At home, a woman asks a man about his health.
- 梓涵 Zihan你身体不舒服吗？nǐ shēntǐ bù shūfu ma?Are you feeling unwell?
- 伟 Wei我有点儿拉肚子。wǒ yǒudiǎnr lā dùzi.I have a bit of diarrhea.
- 梓涵 Zihan伟，你是不是吃多了？Wěi, nǐ shì bù shì chī duōle?Wei, did you eat too much?
- 伟 Wei可能是昨天那顿饭的问题。kěnéng shì zuótiān nà dùn fàn de wèntí.It might be a problem with yesterday's meal.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “diarrhea” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
