牛皮癬 / 牛皮癣
niúpíxuǎn
Psoriasis in Mandarin is 牛皮癬 / 牛皮癣 (niúpíxuǎn) or 銀屑病 / 银屑病 (yínxièbìng).
Meaning: skin disease (noun)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 牛皮癬 / 牛皮癣 | niúpíxuǎn |
| 銀屑病 / 银屑病 | yínxièbìng |
Both terms refer to the skin disease known as psoriasis.
What does it mean word for word?
The colloquial term 牛皮癣 literally translates to 'cowhide scale' or 'cowhide growth', referring to the thick, scaly appearance of the skin patches.
Which one should you use?
While 牛皮癣 is common in daily speech, 銀屑病 / 银屑病 is the formal medical term used by doctors and in clinical settings.
How do you pronounce it?
niúpíxuǎn
Did you know?
- In modern Chinese cities, the term 牛皮癣 is frequently used to describe illegal street advertisements and stickers that are stubbornly pasted on walls and poles.
- In Chinese traditional medicine, skin conditions like 牛皮癣 are often discussed in terms of 'wind', 'heat' and 'dampness' rather than just cellular turnover.
- The term 牛皮 (niúpí) literally means 'cowhide', and in other contexts, saying someone is 牛皮 can mean they are stubborn or boastful.
Examples in context
- 我被诊断患有银屑病。I was diagnosed with psoriasis.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “psoriasis” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
