Nobody plans to visit a clinic on holiday. But a fever that will not break, a tooth that starts throbbing at 10 p.m., an ear infection on day three of a business trip — these things do not check your itinerary. When they happen, the language problem stops being academic fast. You need to say what hurts, understand what the doctor asks, and walk out with medicine you actually know how to take.
The good news: medical Chinese is more formulaic than almost any other part of the language. Doctors ask the same four or five questions in every clinic in the country. Learn those, learn the symptom words, and you can get through a visit even with shaky grammar. This guide covers where to go, what to say, what you will hear back, and how to handle the pharmacy at the end.
Where to Go First
Three words cover the whole system:
- 医院 (yīyuàn, hospital) — the big one. For anything serious or anything that might need scans, blood tests, or a specialist.
- 诊所 (zhěnsuǒ, clinic) — smaller, faster, good for minor illness. In cities you will also see 口腔诊所 (kǒuqiāng zhěnsuǒ, dental clinic) and 眼科诊所 (yǎnkē zhěnsuǒ, eye clinic).
- 药店 (yàodiàn, pharmacy) — for over-the-counter medicine. Pharmacists in China routinely advise on minor complaints, so describing a symptom here counts as real help.
Hospitals in China run on a numbered-queue system: register at 挂号 (guàhào, register for a department), wait for your number, see the doctor, then pay and collect medicine at the pharmacy window inside the hospital. Bigger hospitals have an English-language help desk near the entrance — look for 导医 (dǎoyī, guidance desk) or the international department, 国际医疗部 (guójì yīliáo bù), if there is one.
At registration you will pick a department, and picking the right one saves half a day:
- 内科 (nèikē, internal medicine) — fever, cough, stomach trouble, most general illness. When in doubt, start here.
- 外科 (wàikē, surgery) — injuries, wounds, anything that might need stitches.
- 口腔科 (kǒuqiāng kē, dentistry), 眼科 (yǎnkē, ophthalmology), 耳鼻喉科 (ěr-bí-hóu kē, ENT) — self-explanatory departments.
You will also be asked for your ID. Foreigners bring the passport — 护照 (hùzhào) — and some hospitals want a medical card, 就诊卡 (jiùzhěn kǎ), issued at the registration desk on your first visit. Keep it for next time.
One more word for the paperwork: 病历 (bìnglì, medical record) and 病假条 (bìngjià tiáo, sick-leave note) — if you need a note for work, ask the doctor before you leave: 可以开个病假条吗？ (Kěyǐ kāi ge bìngjià tiáo ma? — “Could you write a sick-leave note?”)
The Four Questions You Will Always Hear
1. 哪里不舒服？ — Nǎlǐ bù shūfu? — “Where does it feel uncomfortable?” / “What’s wrong?”
This is the opening question at every appointment in China. 舒服 (shūfu, comfortable) negated gives you the whole phrase: literally “where not comfortable.” The answer is a body part plus a symptom:
- 我头疼。 — Wǒ tóuténg. — “I have a headache.” (头疼 tóuténg: head + pain)
- 我嗓子疼。 — Wǒ sǎngzi téng. — “My throat hurts.”
- 我肚子不舒服。 — Wǒ dùzi bù shūfu. — “My stomach feels off.”
2. 多久了？ — Duō jiǔ le? — “How long has it been?”
Duration is one of the first things a doctor needs. The pattern is time word + 了 (le):
- 两天了。 — Liǎng tiān le. — “Two days.”
- 一个星期了。 — Yí ge xīngqī le. — “About a week.”
- 今天早上开始的。 — Jīntiān zǎoshang kāishǐ de. — “It started this morning.”
3. 有没有发烧？ — Yǒu méiyǒu fāshāo? — “Do you have a fever?”
有没有 (yǒu méiyǒu) is the yes/no pattern for “have or not have.” Short answer: 有 or 没有. To report a measured temperature, say 我发烧了，三十八度五。 (Wǒ fāshāo le, sānshíbā dù wǔ — “I have a fever, 38.5 degrees”). Chinese counts temperature in 度 (dù, degrees), and 38.5 is spoken “thirty-eight degrees five.”
4. 吃药了吗？ — Chī yào le ma? — “Have you taken any medicine?”
吃药 (chī yào) is literally “eat medicine” — the standard verb for taking medicine in Chinese. If you have: 我吃了布洛芬。 (Wǒ chī le bùluòfēn — “I took ibuprofen”). Bring the box or a photo of the packaging; trade names vary but the boxes are easy to photograph.
The Symptom Word Bank
Pain words are built as body part + 疼 (téng, hurt) — and if a word is missing, just say the body part and point: 这里疼。 (Zhèlǐ téng — “It hurts here”). Useful body parts: 头 (tóu, head), 脖子 (bózi, neck), 胸口 (xiōngkǒu, chest), 胃 (wèi, stomach), 背 (bèi, back), 膝盖 (xīgài, knee), 脚 (jiǎo, foot).
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 头疼 | tóuténg | headache |
| 嗓子疼 | sǎngzi téng | sore throat |
| 牙疼 | yáténg | toothache |
| 肚子疼 | dùzi téng | stomachache |
| 腰疼 | yāoténg | lower back pain |
Non-pain symptoms are their own words:
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 发烧 | fāshāo | fever |
| 咳嗽 | késou | cough |
| 流鼻涕 | liú bítì | runny nose |
| 头晕 | tóuyūn | dizzy |
| 恶心 | ěxin | nauseous |
| 呕吐 | ǒutù | vomiting |
| 过敏 | guòmǐn | allergy / allergic reaction |
| 肿 | zhǒng | swollen |
| 拉肚子 | lā dùzi | diarrhea (literally “pulling the stomach”) |
Useful frames: 我吃不下东西。 (Wǒ chī bù xià dōngxi — “I can’t keep food down”), 我睡不着。 (Wǒ shuì bù zháo — “I can’t sleep”), 我对青霉素过敏。 (Wǒ duì qīngméisù guòmǐn — “I’m allergic to penicillin”) — say the allergy one before any injection or prescription.
What the Doctor Says Back
张开嘴。 — Zhāng kāi zuǐ. — “Open your mouth.”
深呼吸。 — Shēn hūxī. — “Take a deep breath.” (医生 may follow with 听一下肺 — tīng yíxià fèi, “let me listen to your lungs.”)
躺下。 — Tǎng xià. — “Lie down.”
是感冒。 — Shì gǎnmào. — “It’s a cold.” (感冒 gǎnmào is the word you will hear most; 普通感冒 pǔtōng gǎnmào means the common cold, as opposed to 流感 liúgǎn, influenza.)
发炎了。 — Fāyán le. — “It’s inflamed.”
去拍个片子。 — Qù pāi ge piānzi. — “Go get an X-ray / scan.” (片子 piānzi covers X-rays and imaging generally.)
打一针。 — Dǎ yì zhēn. — “Give you an injection.” Clinics in China do prescribe injections and IV drips for things that would be pills elsewhere. If you would rather not, 可以不打针吗？ (Kěyǐ bù dǎ zhēn ma? — “Can I skip the injection?”) is a normal question and usually gets a pill alternative.
多喝水，注意休息。 — Duō hē shuǐ, zhùyì xiūxi. — “Drink plenty of water and rest.” The universal medical advice in Chinese, delivered with total sincerity every time.
At the Pharmacy
- 药房 (yàofáng, pharmacy dispensary — inside hospitals)
- 感冒药 (gǎnmàoyào, cold medicine), 退烧药 (tuìshāoyào, fever reducer), 止咳糖浆 (zhǐké tángjiāng, cough syrup), 消炎药 (xiāoyányào, anti-inflammatory medicine), 创可贴 (chuāngkětiē, band-aid)
Ask 这个药怎么吃？ (Zhège yào zěnme chī? — “How do I take this medicine?”) and expect an answer like 一天三次，一次一片，饭后吃。 (Yì tiān sān cì, yí cì yí piàn, fàn hòu chī — “Three times a day, one tablet each time, after meals”). The measurement words matter: 片 (piàn, tablet), 粒 (lì, capsule/pill), 毫升 (háoshēng, milliliter).
For antibiotics specifically, ask 这是抗生素吗？ (Zhè shì kàngshēngsù ma? — “Is this an antibiotic?”) — China has been tightening antibiotic prescriptions, and you will usually get a clear answer.
Registering and Paying in Practice
Registration is a transaction sentence: 我挂个内科。 (Wǒ guà ge nèikē — “I’d like to register for internal medicine”) or 我预约了张医生，十点半。 (Wǒ yùyuē le Zhāng yīshēng, shí diǎn bàn — “I have an appointment with Dr. Zhang at 10:30”). Expect to hear the fee: 挂号费二十块。 (Guàhào fèi èrshí kuài — “Registration fee, 20 yuan”).
Payment in hospitals now runs through mobile pay like everywhere else, but the words are worth knowing:
- 收费处 (shōufèi chù, payment counter) — where to pay by card or cash.
- 医保 (yībǎo, short for 医疗保险 yīliáo bǎoxiǎn, medical insurance) — useful if you are employed in China; ask 可以用医保吗？ (Kěyǐ yòng yībǎo ma? — “Can I use my medical insurance?”).
- 现金 (xiànjīn, cash) still works at every counter, which helps on day one.
Before you leave, confirm one thing: 一天吃几次？ (Yì tiān chī jǐ cì? — “How many times a day do I take it?”) and 要忌口吗？ (Yào jìkǒu ma? — “Are there foods I should avoid?”). 忌口 (jìkǒu, dietary restrictions during illness) is a real concept in Chinese medicine and doctors will often mention it without being asked.
A Short Clinic Dialogue
医生：您好，请坐。哪里不舒服？ 你：医生你好，我嗓子疼，还发烧了。 医生：多久了？ 你：三天了。昨天晚上开始头疼。 医生：量一下体温……三十八度二。咳嗽吗？ 你：有点咳嗽，嗓子特别疼。 医生：张开嘴……嗯，发炎了。是感冒，我给你开点药。多喝水，注意休息。
That exchange is roughly sixty seconds long and covers registration to prescription. If you can follow it, you can handle a real appointment.
Where to Go From Here
Seeing a doctor is a mid-level survival task — harder than ordering food, easier than a business negotiation. Pair it with the rest of the survival spine on this site: emergencies for the worst day, phone calls for booking ahead, weather small talk for the waiting room.
If you are learning Chinese partly for travel or a name or a brand, you will want tools as well as phrases. For personal and brand name checks in Chinese, try ChineseToolkit’s name checker and brand-name checker — they will tell you if the name you picked sounds natural, auspicious, or slightly unfortunate.
看病 gets easier after the first time. The second visit, you will be the one answering 多久了 without hesitating. And if all else fails on a truly bad day, our emergency phrases guide has the sentences that matter most — this one just makes the non-emergency visits survivable.
