Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 病人 | bìngrén |
| 患者 | huànzhě |
| 病患 | bìnghuàn |
In Chinese, the noun for a person receiving treatment is distinct from the adjective used to describe someone who is calm or tolerant. When referring to a person in a medical context, you use terms like 病人, 患者 or 病患.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 病人 is composed of 病, meaning sick or illness and 人, meaning person, literally translating to 'sick person'.
Which one should you use?
While 病人 is the most common and everyday way to refer to a patient, 患者 is a professional term used in medical reports, news or clinical settings. 病患 is a formal, literary term often used in written documents to refer to the patient population or the state of being a patient.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
bìngrén
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not confuse the noun for a person receiving care with the adjective for having patience. In Chinese, the quality of being patient is expressed by different words such as 耐心 or 耐煩, rather than the medical terms used for a person.
Did you know?
- In Chinese, calling someone a 病人 can sometimes be used metaphorically to describe someone who is acting obsessively or 'crazy' about a hobby or a person.
- The character 患 in 患者 is also used in the phrase for 'trouble' or 'disaster' 患难, linking the state of being a patient to a broader sense of hardship.
- The quality of being patient 耐心 literally translates to 'patience heart', as the 'heart' 心 is the center of emotion and willpower in Chinese thought.
Examples in context
- 牙医对病人很客气。The dentist is very polite to the patient.This sentence is useful for showing how a professional interacts with a 病人.Tatoeba #3377951 by GlossaMatik, translation #3377952 by _undertoad
- 没人照顾这个病人。No one is caring for this patient.This sentence shows how to describe the lack of care for a 病人.Tatoeba #4265074 by notabene, translation #5574939 by n1ls
- 为抢救病人医生已尽力了。The doctor tried every possible means to save his patient.This sentence illustrates a doctor's effort to save a 病人.Tatoeba #6822753 by basilhan, translation #28017 by CK
- 在这家医院，每天有数百名 病人 接受治疗。In this hospital, hundreds of patients receive treatment every day.
- 我的朋友是个 病号 ，在医院里住了一周。My friend is a patient, staying in the hospital for a week.
- 昨天，我遇到一个可爱的小 患儿 ，他正在医生的陪伴下接受治疗。Yesterday, I met a lovely little child patient, who was receiving treatment accompanied by a doctor.
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
In a hospital hallway, two colleagues are discussing a case.
- 浩然 Haoran那位病人现在怎么样了？Nà wèi bìngrén xiànzài zěnmeyàng le?How is that patient doing now?
- 雨婷 Yuting他在休息，情况已经稳定了。Tā zài xiūxi, qíngkuàng yǐjīng wěndìng le.He is resting, and his condition is stable now.
- 浩然 Haoran太好了，辛苦你了。Tài hǎo le, xīnkǔ nǐ le.That's great, thank you for your hard work.
- 雨婷 Yuting应该做的，这是我的职责。Yīnggāi zuò de, zhè shì wǒ de zhízé.It's my duty, it's what I should do.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “patient” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
