Lesson 8: Health & At the Doctor

Describe symptoms, answer a doctor's questions, and understand medical instructions in Chinese.

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Overview

Medical situations require specific, clear communication. This lesson covers how to describe what is wrong, answer questions about how long symptoms have lasted, and understand what a doctor tells you to do. Even at the A1+ level, knowing these phrases can be genuinely important in an emergency or routine clinic visit.

Learning Objectives

  • Describe physical symptoms clearly with body part + 痛/不舒服
  • Answer 哪里不舒服 and 痛了多长时间 questions
  • Understand common doctor instructions involving medicine and rest
  • Use duration expressions with V + 了 + time period

Vocabulary

Character Pinyin Type Meaning Example
不舒服 bù shūfu adj unwell, uncomfortable 我今天不太舒服。
医院 yīyuàn n hospital 我要去医院。
药 yào n medicine 吃了药就好了。
打针 dǎzhēn v to get an injection 医生让我打针。
检查 jiǎnchá v/n to examine; examination 去检查一下。
发烧 fāshāo v to have a fever 我发烧了，38度。
头痛 tóutòng n/v headache; to have a headache 我头痛得很厉害。
咳嗽 késou v/n to cough; cough 我咳嗽了三天了。
肚子 dùzi n stomach, belly 肚子痛。
嗓子 sǎngzi n throat 嗓子很痛。
休息 xiūxi v to rest 多休息，喝水。
严重 yánzhòng adj serious, severe 情况不太严重。
过敏 guòmǐn v/n to be allergic; allergy 我对花粉过敏。
挂号 guàhào v to register (at a hospital) 先去挂号。

Grammar Focus

Pattern 1: Body Part + 痛 / 不舒服

Structure: Body part + 痛 / 不舒服

This is the most direct way to describe physical discomfort. 痛 (tòng) means pain. 不舒服 covers general discomfort, nausea, or feeling unwell.

Chinese Pinyin English
我头很痛。 Wǒ tóu hěn tòng. My head hurts badly.
肚子不舒服。 Dùzi bù shūfu. My stomach is uncomfortable.
嗓子痛了两天了。 Sǎngzi tòng le liǎng tiān le. My throat has been hurting for two days.
我全身都不舒服。 Wǒ quánshēn dōu bù shūfu. My whole body feels unwell.

Common mistake: Do not say 我的头痛 alone as a noun phrase to mean "I have a headache." That means "my headache" (the noun), not "my head hurts." To express the symptom, say 我头痛 or 我头很痛.

Pattern 2: V + 了 + Time Period + 了 (duration up to now)

Structure: Verb + 了 + Time duration + 了

When both 了 appear, the first marks the verb as begun and ongoing, and the second (sentence-final) indicates the situation is relevant now. Together they express how long something has been going on up to the present.

Chinese Pinyin English
我咳嗽了三天了。 Wǒ késou le sān tiān le. I have been coughing for three days.
他发烧了一个晚上了。 Tā fāshāo le yī gè wǎnshang le. He has had a fever since last night.
我头痛了好几个小时了。 Wǒ tóutòng le hǎo jǐ gè xiǎoshí le. My head has been hurting for several hours.

Common mistake: Do not omit the second 了. Saying 我咳嗽了三天 without the final 了 implies the coughing is over, not ongoing.

Pattern 3: 哪里不舒服？ Question pattern

Structure: 哪里 + Verb/Adjective / 多长时间了？

Doctors use these question patterns to assess symptoms. Learners need to both understand them and respond naturally.

Chinese Pinyin English
哪里不舒服？ Nǎlǐ bù shūfu? Where does it hurt? / What's wrong?
痛了多长时间了？ Tòng le duō cháng shíjiān le? How long has it been hurting?
以前有过这种情况吗？ Yǐqián yǒu guò zhè zhǒng qíngkuàng ma? Has this happened before?
对什么药过敏吗？ Duì shénme yào guòmǐn ma? Are you allergic to any medication?

Dialogue

Doctor: 你好，哪里不舒服？ Nǐ hǎo, nǎlǐ bù shūfu? Hello, what seems to be the problem?

Patient: 我嗓子很痛，还咳嗽，头也有点痛。 Wǒ sǎngzi hěn tòng, hái késou, tóu yě yǒudiǎn tòng. My throat hurts a lot, I have a cough, and my head hurts a little too.

Doctor: 咳嗽了多长时间了？ Késou le duō cháng shíjiān le? How long have you been coughing?

Patient: 大概三天了。昨天开始发烧了。 Dàgài sān tiān le. Zuótiān kāishǐ fāshāo le. About three days. I started having a fever yesterday.

Doctor: 量一下体温。好，三十八度五。对什么药过敏吗？ Liáng yīxià tǐwēn. Hǎo, sānshí bā dù wǔ. Duì shénme yào guòmǐn ma? Let me check your temperature. OK, 38.5 degrees. Are you allergic to any medication?

Patient: 没有过敏。需要打针吗？ Méiyǒu guòmǐn. Xūyào dǎzhēn ma? No allergies. Do I need an injection?

Doctor: 不用。我给你开点药，回去多喝水，多休息。三天后再来检查。 Bù yòng. Wǒ gěi nǐ kāi diǎn yào, huíqù duō hē shuǐ, duō xiūxi. Sān tiān hòu zài lái jiǎnchá. No need. I'll prescribe some medicine. Go home, drink plenty of water, and rest well. Come back for a checkup in three days.

Practice

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blank

  1. 我肚子 ______ 了好几个小时了。(My stomach has been hurting for several hours.)
  2. 医生问我 ______ 不舒服。(The doctor asked where it hurt.)
  3. 你 ______ 了多长时间了？(How long have you had a fever?)
  4. 回去多 ______，多喝热水。(Go home and rest more, drink more hot water.)
  5. 我对青霉素 ______。(I am allergic to penicillin.)

Exercise 2: Translate to Chinese

  1. My throat has been hurting for two days.
  2. Do I need an injection or just medicine?
  3. The doctor told me to rest for three days.
  4. Where does it hurt? Point to where.

Exercise 3: Answer in Chinese

  1. 你最近身体怎么样？(How has your health been lately?)
  2. 你一般发烧的时候会怎么做？(What do you usually do when you have a fever?)
  3. 你觉得去医院方便吗？(Do you find it convenient to go to the hospital?)

Cultural Note

In China, it is common to go to a hospital (医院) for what Western systems would consider minor illnesses. Community clinics are fewer, and hospitals have outpatient departments that handle everyday complaints. Before seeing a doctor, patients must first 挂号 (register) and pay a small registration fee. Traditional Chinese Medicine (中医, zhōngyī) is widely practiced alongside Western medicine, and many Chinese people will visit a 中医 for herbal medicine or acupuncture for conditions like chronic pain or fatigue. The phrase 多喝热水 (drink more hot water) is a ubiquitous piece of medical advice in China and has become a gentle cultural joke.