Chinese · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 3 of 12
At the doctor's
看病Kàn bìng
Say what hurts and for how long in Chinese, understand a doctor's advice with 应该 and 别, and read the dose on your medicine.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Say what hurts: 我头疼 (wǒ tóuténg)
- Say how long it has hurt: 疼了两天了 (téngle liǎng tiān le)
- Understand advice with 应该 (yīnggāi), 最好 (zuìhǎo) and 别 (bié)
- Understand a dose: three times a day, two tablets
Listen
Liang Yan isn't feeling well and sees a doctor at a hospital in Tianjin. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Doctor
您好，请坐。您哪儿不舒服？
Nín hǎo, qǐng zuò. Nín nǎr bù shūfu?
Hello, please sit down. What's the matter?
Liang Yan
医生，我头疼，嗓子也疼。
Yīshēng, wǒ tóuténg, sǎngzi yě téng.
Doctor, I've got a headache, and my throat hurts too.
Doctor
疼了几天了？
Téngle jǐ tiān le?
How long has it been hurting?
Liang Yan
疼了两天了。昨天晚上还发烧了。
Téngle liǎng tiān le. Zuótiān wǎnshang hái fāshāo le.
For two days now. And last night I got a temperature too.
Doctor
多少度？
Duōshao dù?
How high?
Liang Yan
三十八度五。我还有点儿咳嗽。
Sānshíbā dù wǔ. Wǒ hái yǒudiǎnr késou.
38.5. And I've got a bit of a cough.
Doctor
我看一下……您感冒了。您应该多喝水，多休息。
Wǒ kàn yíxià… Nín gǎnmào le. Nín yīnggāi duō hē shuǐ, duō xiūxi.
Let me have a look… You've got a cold. You should drink plenty of water and rest a lot.
Liang Yan
我明天能上班吗？
Wǒ míngtiān néng shàngbān ma?
Can I go to work tomorrow?
Doctor
最好别去。因为您发烧了，所以要在家休息两天。
Zuìhǎo bié qù. Yīnwèi nín fāshāo le, suǒyǐ yào zài jiā xiūxi liǎng tiān.
Better not. You've got a temperature, so you need to rest at home for two days.
Liang Yan
我要吃药吗？
Wǒ yào chī yào ma?
Do I need to take any medicine?
Doctor
要。这个药一天三次，一次两片。您可以在药店买。
Yào. Zhège yào yì tiān sān cì, yí cì liǎng piàn. Nín kěyǐ zài yàodiàn mǎi.
Yes. This medicine: three times a day, two tablets each time. You can buy it at the pharmacy.
Liang Yan
好的，谢谢医生。
Hǎo de, xièxie yīshēng.
All right. Thank you, doctor.
Understand
我头疼: saying what hurts
To say what hurts, put the person, then the part of the body, then (téng), to hurt: (wǒ sǎngzi téng), my throat hurts. There's no word for “my”: (wǒ) at the start already shows whose throat it is. (tóuténg), headache, is so common that it's written as one word.
(Nǎr bù shūfu?), literally “where are you not comfortable?”, is how doctors ask what's wrong. Answer with the part that hurts, or with (wǒ fāshāo le), I've got a temperature, or (wǒ gǎnmào le), I've got a cold.
| Chinese | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (tóu) | head | (Wǒ tóuténg.) |
| (sǎngzi) | throat | (Wǒ sǎngzi téng.) |
| (dùzi) | stomach, belly | (Wǒ dùzi téng.) |
| (yá) | tooth | (Wǒ yá téng.) |
| (bèi) | back | (Tā bèi téng.) |
| (tuǐ) | leg | (Wǒ tuǐ téng.) |
| (yǎnjing) | eye | (Wǒ yǎnjing téng.) |
了 at the end: something has changed
(le) at the end of a sentence can also show that a situation is new or has changed: (wǒ fāshāo le), I've got a temperature (now; I didn't before). (nín gǎnmào le), you've caught a cold. (Hǎo yìdiǎnr le ma?) Are you a bit better? (bù téng le), it doesn't hurt any more.
To say how long something has been going on, put the length of time after the verb, with 了 after the verb and at the end: (téngle liǎng tiān le), it has been hurting for two days (and still hurts). Ask with (jǐ tiān): (Téngle jǐ tiān le?)
- 我感冒了。Wǒ gǎnmào le.I've got a cold.
- 我咳嗽了三天了。Wǒ késoule sān tiān le.I've had a cough for three days.
- 我好一点儿了，头不疼了。Wǒ hǎo yìdiǎnr le, tóu bù téng le.I'm a bit better. My head doesn't hurt any more.
Advice: you should, better not
Doctors give advice with (yīnggāi), should; (yào), need to; (zuìhǎo), it's best to; and (bié), don't. They all go before the verb. (duō) before a verb means “a lot, more”: (duō hē shuǐ), drink plenty of water.
(yīnwèi… suǒyǐ…) means “because… so…”. Chinese often uses both words in the same sentence: (yīnwèi nín fāshāo le, suǒyǐ yào zài jiā xiūxi), because you have a temperature, you need to rest at home. The dose on medicine is (yì tiān sān cì, yí cì liǎng piàn), three times a day, two tablets each time.
- 您应该多休息。Nín yīnggāi duō xiūxi.You should rest a lot.
- 最好别吃辣的。Zuìhǎo bié chī là de.It's best not to eat spicy food.
- 一天两次，一次一片。Yì tiān liǎng cì, yí cì yí piàn.Twice a day, one tablet each time.
More in the grammar: Modal verbs: 会, 能, 可以, 要, 想, 应该 · How long and how often · Joining sentences: connectors · 了 at the end: change and new situations
New words
- 哪儿不舒服？Nǎr bù shūfu?What's the matter? (Where does it hurt?) · (shūfu), comfortable; (bù shūfu), unwell
- 头疼tóuténgheadache; to have a headache · (téng), to hurt
- 嗓子sǎngzithroat
- 发烧fāshāoto have a temperature, a fever
- 度dùdegree · (sānshíbā dù wǔ), 38.5 degrees
- 咳嗽késouto cough; a cough · (yǒudiǎnr késou), to have a bit of a cough
- 感冒gǎnmàoa cold; to catch a cold · (wǒ gǎnmào le), I've got a cold
- 应该yīnggāishould
- 多喝水duō hē shuǐdrink plenty of water
- 最好zuìhǎoit's best to, had better · (zuìhǎo bié qù), better not go
- 别biédon't · before a verb: (bié qù), don't go
- 药yàomedicine · (chī yào), to take medicine (literally “eat medicine”). Dose: (yì tiān sān cì), three times a day, with (cì) from A1.
- 片piàntablet (measure word) · (liǎng piàn), two tablets
- 药店yàodiànpharmacy, chemist's
Practise
1.Match the parts of the body.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
2.Your stomach hurts. What do you tell the doctor?
3.Put the words in order: tell the doctor your throat has been hurting for three days.
Tap the words below in the right order.My throat has been hurting for three days.
4.The doctor says (bié hē kāfēi). What does that mean?
5.Put the words in order: the dose is three times a day, one tablet each time.
Tap the words below in the right order.Three times a day, one tablet each time.
0 of 5 exercises done.
Say it out loud
我头疼，还有点儿发烧。
Wǒ tóuténg, hái yǒudiǎnr fāshāo.
I've got a headache and a slight temperature.
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.