病 (bìng) means "illness, disease" with HSK 1 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: illness
Other meanings:
- disease
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
病 does not appear on oracle bones as a single character. It is a phono-semantic compound formed in later script, with 疒 (the 'sickness' radical, which on oracle bones depicted a person lying on a bed or mat, often sweating) as the semantic component and 丙 as the phonetic. The related oracle bone graph 疾 is much older for the general sense of illness.
Form evolution
The 疒 radical on oracle bones shows a person tilted against a vertical bed or mat, sometimes with dots for sweat or blood. In seal script this was regularised into the modern 疒 shape, a dot and short stroke atop a three-sided frame. 病 itself is first attested in bronze and seal script as the full 疒 plus 丙 compound, and the clerical and modern forms preserve that structure without further change.
How the meaning evolved
Classical Chinese distinguished 疾 (a mild or acute illness) from 病 (a serious, chronic, or grave illness), with 病 carrying more weight. Over time this distinction eroded, and by the medieval period 病 had become the general word for sickness. Modern Mandarin uses 病 as the default noun and verb for illness, while 疾 survives mostly in formal compounds like 疾病 or 疾驰.
Cultural note
The old severity distinction is still visible in set phrases: 小疾 (minor ailment) feels literary and restrained, while 重病 (serious illness) uses 病 because the weight is already there. Learners sometimes write 病 with 甲 instead of 丙 inside the radical, a confusion worth watching for since both are heavenly-stem characters of similar shape.
Basic info
| Pinyin | bìng |
| Meanings | illness, disease |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 1 |
| Frequency | #167 most common |
Example sentences
她生病了，在家休息。
Tā shēngbìng le, zài jiā xiūxi.
She got sick and is resting at home.
From 生病 (HSK 1)
电脑感染病毒后运行很慢。
Diànnǎo gǎnrǎn bìngdú hòu yùnxíng hěn màn.
The computer runs slowly after being infected with a virus.
From 病毒 (HSK 6)
这台机器经常出毛病，需要找专业人员维修。
Zhè tái jīqì jīngcháng chū máobìng, xūyào zhǎo zhuānyè rényuán wéixiū.
This machine often has problems and needs professional personnel to repair it.
From 毛病 (HSK 5)
Words containing 病
On the new HSK 1 exam
Studying for HSK 1? Keep 病 with the rest of your level.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.