病灶
bìngzào
In Mandarin, 'lesion' can be translated as 病灶 (bìngzào) or 损伤. Wiktionary also lists 損傷 / 损伤 (sǔnshāng).
Meaning: a wound or an injury (noun)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 病灶 | bìngzào |
| 損傷 / 损伤 | sǔnshāng |
The term 病灶 is a formal way to specify a pathological lesion caused by a disease. In contrast, 损伤 is the more common term used in clinical settings to describe physical tissue damage or an actual injury to an organ or body part.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 病灶 is composed of 病 (bìng), meaning disease or illness and 灶 (zào), meaning a hearth or a focal point/source.
Which one should you use?
Use 病灶 when referring to a specific pathological focus or the site of a disease, whereas 损伤 refers more generally to physical damage or an injury.
How does it change in a sentence?
The term 损伤 can function as both a noun (an injury) and a verb (to damage or injure).
How do you pronounce it?
bìngzào
Did you know?
- While 损伤 means 'injury' in medicine, it is also used in law and insurance to describe 'damages' or financial losses. In these cases, it refers to an injury to one's assets rather than a physical lesion.
- In traditional Chinese medicine, a 'lesion' is often viewed as a blockage of 气 (qì), or vital energy. Therefore, treating a 病灶 often involves restoring the flow of energy rather than just treating the physical site.
- The term 病灶 uses the character 灶, which literally means a 'stove' or 'hearth'. This creates a visual metaphor in Mandarin where the site of a disease is viewed as the 'burning' source or 'hearth' of the illness.
Examples in context
- 医生在检查他的病灶。Yīshēng zài jiǎnchá tā de bìngzào.The doctor is examining his lesion.
- 这个病灶看起来很小。Zhège bìngzào kàn qǐlái hěn xiǎo.This lesion looks very small.
- 我们要确认病灶的具体位置。Wǒmen yào què rèn bìngzào de jù tǐ wèi zhì.We need to confirm the exact location of the lesion.
Example conversation
Zhiqiang is discussing medical test results with Yuting.
- 志强 Zhiqiang雨婷，检查报告出来了。Yǔtíng, jiǎnchá bàogào chūláile.Yuting, the test report is out.
- 雨婷 Yuting医生说了什么？有病灶吗？Yīshēng shuōle shénme? Yǒu bìngzào ma?What did the doctor say? Is there a lesion?
- 志强 Zhiqiang没有，结果一切都正常。Méiyǒu, jiéguǒ yīqiè dōu zhèngcháng.No, the results are all normal.
- 雨婷 Yuting太好了，我放心了。Tài hǎole, wǒ fàngxīnle.That's great, I'm relieved.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lesion” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
