流產 / 流产
liúchǎn
In Mandarin, 'miscarriage' is expressed as 流產 / 流产 (liúchǎn). If unsure, use 流產 / 流产. Wiktionary also lists 小產 / 小产 (xiǎochǎn) and 自然流產 / 自然流产 (zìrán liúchǎn).
Meaning: natural termination of pregnancy (noun)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 流產 / 流产 | liúchǎn |
| 小產 / 小产 | xiǎochǎn |
| 自然流產 / 自然流产 | zìrán liúchǎn |
The term refers to the natural termination of a pregnancy. In a medical context, 流產 is the most appropriate term to use when discussing the clinical event. To be more specific about an early miscarriage occurring during the first trimester, you can use 早期流产.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 流產 / 流产 (liúchǎn) literally means 'flowing out' (流) 'production/birth' (產).
Which one should you use?
While 流產 / 流产 is the general term, 自然流產 / 自然流产 is used specifically to distinguish a spontaneous miscarriage from an induced abortion. 小產 / 小产 is another way to refer to a miscarriage.
How do you pronounce it?
liúchǎn
Did you know?
- The term 流產 is sometimes used metaphorically in Chinese to describe a project or plan that fails to come to fruition, similar to the English 'stillborn'.
- In historical Chinese texts, 流產 was often attributed to 'wind' or 'cold' entering the womb, leading to traditional customs of avoiding cold drafts during pregnancy.
- The term 小產 literally means 'small birth'. This framing suggests that the pregnancy was a birth of a smaller scale rather than a failure of the process.
Examples in context
- 很遗憾地通知大家，她在怀孕早期出现了并发症，最终导致了一次流产。Unfortunately, I have to inform everyone that she experienced complications in early pregnancy, leading to a miscarriage.
- 她在怀孕的第十周发生了一次早期流产。She experienced an early miscarriage in the tenth week of her pregnancy.
- 很遗憾地告诉你，她这次怀孕出了问题，最终自然流产了。I'm sad to tell you that she experienced some complications in this pregnancy, and eventually had a miscarriage naturally.
- 我们没有想到她会突然流产，这真的很令人伤心。We didn't expect her to have a sudden miscarriage. It's truly heartbreaking.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “miscarriage” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
