At the Doctor in Chinese 看病
kànbìng
See a doctor in Chinese is 看病 (kàn bìng).
Also searched for as: doctor, see a doctor, hospital, I'm sick.
Where do you go when you're ill? 15 essential at the doctor words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The phrase for seeing a doctor in Chinese is 看病 (kàn bìng), literally 'look at illness', and it works whether you're the patient or the doctor. In mainland China many people go straight to a 医院 (yī yuàn), hospital, rather than a local GP, and the first step is 挂号 (guà hào), registering at the desk. These words take you through the visit, from describing your 症状 (zhèng zhuàng), symptoms, to the doctor's 检查 (jiǎn chá), examination.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 看病 | kàn bìng | to see a doctor |
| 医院 | yī yuàn | hospital |
| 医生 | yī shēng | doctor |
| 护士 | hù shi | nurse |
| 挂号 | guà hào | to register (at a hospital) |
| 诊所 | zhěn suǒ | clinic |
| 检查 | jiǎn chá | to examine; check-up |
| 急诊 | jí zhěn | emergency |
| 救护车 | jiù hù chē | ambulance |
| 病人 | bìng rén | patient |
| 打针 | dǎ zhēn | to have an injection |
| 住院 | zhù yuàn | to be hospitalised |
| 手术 | shǒu shù | surgery |
| 预约 | yù yuē | appointment |
| 症状 | zhèng zhuàng | symptom |
Usage tips
- When you 挂号 (guà hào) you choose a department, so you may be asked 挂什么科？ (guà shén me kē). Useful answers include 内科 (nèi kē), internal medicine, and 急诊 (jí zhěn), A&E.
- 看病 works for both sides: 我去看病 means I'm going to see a doctor, while 医生在给病人看病 means the doctor is seeing a patient. 看医生 (kàn yī shēng) is also widely used.
- The ambulance number in mainland China is 120, read yāo èr líng, because 1 is usually read yāo in phone numbers; calling one is 叫救护车 (jiào jiù hù chē).
Common mistakes
- Learners say 我要看一个医生, copying 'see a doctor'; the natural phrase is 我要去看病 (wǒ yào qù kàn bìng) or 我要去看医生, without 一个.
- 病人 (bìng rén) means a patient in hospital, not the adjective 'patient'; for that you need 耐心 (nài xīn), as in 你很有耐心.
Mini dialogue
- A你好，请坐。你哪儿不舒服？Nǐ hǎo, qǐng zuò. Nǐ nǎr bù shū fu?Hello, have a seat. What seems to be the problem?
- B医生，我嗓子疼，还咳嗽，已经三天了。Yī shēng, wǒ sǎng zi téng, hái ké sou, yǐ jīng sān tiān le.Doctor, I've had a sore throat and a cough for three days now.
- A还有别的症状吗？发烧吗？Hái yǒu bié de zhèng zhuàng ma? Fā shāo ma?Any other symptoms? Do you have a temperature?
- B昨天晚上有点儿发烧。Zuó tiān wǎn shang yǒu diǎnr fā shāo.I had a bit of a fever last night.
- A我给你检查一下。张开嘴，说“啊”。Wǒ gěi nǐ jiǎn chá yī xià. Zhāng kāi zuǐ, shuō “ā”.Let me examine you. Open your mouth and say 'ah'.
Example sentences
- 我下午要去医院看病。I'm going to see a doctor this afternoon.
- 最近的医院在哪儿？Where's the nearest hospital?
- 看病要先挂号。You have to register first before seeing a doctor.
- 小区门口有一家诊所。There's a clinic at the entrance to the estate.
- 医生给我检查了一下。The doctor gave me a check-up.
- 晚上只能看急诊。At night you can only go to A&E.
- 快叫救护车！Call an ambulance, quick!
- 医生正在给病人看病。The doctor is seeing a patient.
- 小孩子都怕打针。Little children are all scared of injections.
- 爷爷住院一个星期了。Grandpa has been in hospital for a week.
- 手术很成功。The surgery was a success.
- 我想预约明天上午看医生。I'd like to make an appointment to see the doctor tomorrow morning.
- 你有什么症状？What symptoms do you have?
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The At the doctor speaking island has 8 everyday questions about at the doctor to prepare your own answers to.