病人 (bìngrén)

病人 refers to someone who is sick or who is receiving medical care. It is one of the most common words in medical contexts and is used in both formal and everyday speech.

Meanings

[noun] patient; a sick person receiving or needing medical treatment

Example Sentences

医院里有很多病人在等待治疗。 Yīyuàn lǐ yǒu hěn duō bìngrén zài děngdài zhìliáo. There are many patients in the hospital waiting for treatment.

护士每天要照顾几十个病人。 Hùshi měitiān yào zhàogù jǐshí gè bìngrén. The nurse has to take care of dozens of patients every day.

这位病人的病情很严重。 Zhè wèi bìngrén de bìngqíng hěn yánzhòng. This patient's condition is very serious.

医生对每一位病人都非常耐心。 Yīshēng duì měi yī wèi bìngrén dōu fēicháng nàixīn. The doctor is very patient with every patient.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
照顾病人	to take care of a patient
病人的病情	the patient's condition
住院病人	inpatient
门诊病人	outpatient

Usage Notes

病人 is composed of 病 (bìng, illness) + 人 (rén, person). It is a neutral, respectful term for someone who is ill. In formal medical settings, 患者 (huànzhě) is also used with the same meaning and is more formal in tone. The measure word for 病人 is 位 (wèi) in polite contexts, or 个 (gè) in informal speech.

Memory Hook

病 (sick) + 人 (person) = a "sick person" — the most straightforward compound word in the medical vocabulary set.