緩和醫療 / 缓和医疗
huǎnhé yīliáo
To say palliative care in Mandarin, use 緩和醫療 / 缓和医疗 (huǎnhé yīliáo). If unsure, use 緩和醫療 / 缓和医疗. Wiktionary also lists 臨終關懷 / 临终关怀 (línzhōng guānhuái) and 善終服務 / 善终服务 (shànzhōng fúwù).
Meaning: specialized area of healthcare (noun)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 緩和醫療 / 缓和医疗 | huǎnhé yīliáo |
| 臨終關懷 / 临终关怀 | línzhōng guānhuái |
| 善終服務 / 善终服务 | shànzhōng fúwù |
| 姑息療法 / 姑息疗法 | gūxī liáofǎ |
| 安寧療護 / 安宁疗护 | ānníng liáohù |
| 寧靜護理 / 宁静护理 | níngjìng hùlǐ |
| 紓緩護理 / 纾缓护理 | shūhuǎn hùlǐ |
缓和医疗 is the medical term for care that relieves pain and symptoms for people with serious illness.
What does it mean word for word?
缓和 means to ease or relieve, and 医疗 means medical care.
Which one should you use?
臨終關懷 / 临终关怀 means end of life care and is close to hospice care. 姑息療法 / 姑息疗法 is a clinical term for palliative treatment. 安寧療護 / 安宁疗护 is the usual term in Taiwan.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The first form in each pair is in traditional characters, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong and the second is simplified, used in mainland China.
How do you pronounce it?
It is pronounced huǎnhé yīliáo.
Did you know?
- While English uses 'palliative' from the Latin 'palliare' meaning 'to cloak', the Mandarin 緩和 describes the physical act of 'loosening' or 'softening' a tension. It envisions the symptoms as a tight knot that needs to be gently undone.
- While 'palliative' in English is often associated with relief, the term 姑息 / 姑息 can also carry a negative connotation in casual Mandarin, implying 'to let something slide' or 'to neglect' a problem.
- The phrase 善終 / 善终 in 善終服務 / 善终服务 refers to the concept of a 'good end', a culturally significant term for dying with dignity and proper ritual.
Example sentences for Mandarin are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “palliative care” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
