n., v.
A sick person lying in a bed (疒), showing illness or disease. Illness, sickness, disease; to fall ill or become sick. A person resting on a sickbed (疒) with a fever burning inside (丙).
病
Common Usage & Traps
- 生病 — to get sick; to fall ill
- 病好了 — recovered from an illness
- 有病 — to be ill; to have an illness (also slang for crazy)
- 病了 — to be sick; to have fallen ill
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病很好病好了好 after 病 is a result, not an adjective you boost with 很. Use 病好了 for 'recovered'.
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我有病我生病了In casual talk, 我有病 often sounds like 'I'm crazy.' Use 我生病了 for everyday sickness.
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他病他病了病 as a verb usually needs 了 to show a change into that state. Bare 他病 sounds unfinished.
If you're sick, should you say 我病了 or 我生病了?
Both work; 我生病了 sounds like you caught something, 我病了 sounds like you're currently sick.
Chinese has two common ways to talk about being sick, and neither is wrong. 我病了 treats 病 like a state you fell into, often right now. 我生病了 treats 生病 as the action of catching an illness. In daily talk, 我生病了 is the safest default for 'I got sick.' Use 我病了 when the context already shows you mean the current state.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday sick | 我生病了 | 我有病 (often 'I'm crazy') |
| Right-now state | 我病了 | 我病 (sounds unfinished) |
| Asking someone | 你生病了吗？ | 你有病吗？ (often 'Are you crazy?') |
Why does 病好了 mean 'recovered'?
病好了 means the illness turned good, so the person recovered.
Here 好 is not an adjective saying the illness itself is nice or great. It works as a result word: the sickness has become well and the person is okay. Chinese often uses 好了 to mean fixed, finished, or fully recovered from a problem. So 病好了 is the normal, everyday way to say someone got better. Don't say 病很好, which sounds like the illness itself is wonderful. “马家友病好了，要去谢谢谢医生。” (Ma Jiayou recovered and wanted to go thank Dr. Xie.) ── [《三号病房的苹果》](/read/mysterious-apple-ward-three#s4)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Recovered | 病好了 | 病很好 |
| Illness is serious | 病很重 | 病很大 |
| My illness is better | 我的病好了 | 我的病很好 |
When does 你有病 mean 'you're crazy' instead of 'you are sick'?
你有病 can mean 'you're sick,' but in casual talk it usually means 'you're crazy.'
Literally, 有病 means having an illness, but as a bare insult it often means 'you're crazy.' The phrase 你有病吧？ is a common way to say 'Are you out of your mind?' If you actually feel sick, say 我生病了 instead of 我有病. Tone and context decide whether you are joking or starting a fight.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Real sickness | 我生病了 | 我有病 (often 'I'm crazy') |
| Joking insult | 你有病吧？ | 你生病了吧？ (just asks if sick) |
| Neutral statement | 他生病了 | 他有病 (can be an insult) |
Featured in Story Deep Dive
Follow how this word unfolds across the narrative arc of this graded story.
Enjoy this simple story about a patient and a mysterious apple. It shows how a small act of kindness can make someone feel at home, and you'll learn key words for feelings and daily life.
- Scene #1
马家友 病 好了，要去谢谢谢医生。
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