流行病 (liúxíngbìng)

流行病 refers to an epidemic or pandemic — a disease that spreads rapidly and widely among a population. It became especially prominent in global vocabulary after recent health crises.

Meanings

[noun] epidemic; pandemic; a widely spreading infectious disease

Example Sentences

这次流行病在全世界范围内造成了很大的影响。 Zhè cì liúxíngbìng zài quán shìjiè fànwéi nèi zàochéng le hěn dà de yǐngxiǎng. This epidemic had a huge impact across the world.

历史上出现过许多严重的流行病。 Lìshǐ shàng chūxiàn guò xǔduō yánzhòng de liúxíngbìng. Many serious epidemics have appeared throughout history.

科学家们正在努力研究如何控制流行病。 Kēxuéjiāmen zhèngzài nǔlì yánjiū rúhé kòngzhì liúxíngbìng. Scientists are working hard to research how to control epidemics.

流行病期间，大家应该减少外出，戴好口罩。 Liúxíngbìng qījiān, dàjiā yīnggāi jiǎnshǎo wàichū, dài hǎo kǒuzhào. During an epidemic, everyone should reduce going out and wear masks properly.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
控制流行病	to control an epidemic
流行病爆发	epidemic outbreak
流行病学	epidemiology
预防流行病	to prevent an epidemic

Usage Notes

流行病 combines 流行 (liúxíng, popular/widespread) + 病 (bìng, disease). 流行 alone means "trendy" or "popular" in everyday contexts, but in the medical compound 流行病 it means "spreading widely." A related term is 传染病 (chuánrǎnbìng, infectious disease), which is broader. 流行病学 (epidemiology) is the scientific study of how diseases spread through populations.

Memory Hook

流行 (spreading widely/popular) + 病 (disease) — an epidemic is a disease that has "gone viral" through a population.