v.
to see a doctor; (of a doctor) to see a patient
看病
Common Usage & Traps
- 去看病 — go to see a doctor
- 去医院看病 — go to the hospital to see a doctor
- 看病的人 — person seeing a doctor; patient
- 医生看病 — doctor sees patients
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看病医生看医生 / 看病看病 already means see a doctor; adding 医生 is redundant and sounds like see-doctor doctor.
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看一个病看病看病 is a fixed phrase. You do not count the illness with 一个 when you mean seeing a doctor.
Is it 看病 or 看医生 for seeing a doctor?
Both work, but 看病 is the everyday default in most of mainland China.
看病 focuses on getting medical care. 看医生 treats 医生 as the person you go see. Mainland daily speech usually picks 看病. 看医生 is also fine, especially in southern China and Taiwan. Never say 看病医生; it sounds like see-doctor doctor.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday choice | 看病 | 看病医生 |
| Regional variant | 看医生 | 看病医生 |
| Meaning focus | 看病 = get care | 看病医生 = redundant |
Can a doctor say 看病 too, or is it only for patients?
Yes. 看病 works for both sides: patients go 看病, doctors also 看病.
看病 literally means look at illness. If a patient says it, it means seeing a doctor. If a doctor says it, it means seeing patients. Context tells you who is who. A doctor can say 我下午看病, meaning I see patients this afternoon.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Patient side | 我去看病。 | 我去看病医生。 |
| Doctor side | 医生在看病。 | 医生在看医生。 (if you mean seeing patients) |
Do I say 看了病 or 看病了?
Both are possible, but they do different jobs with 了.
看病 is a fixed phrase. You can put 了 right after 看: 看了病. You can also put it at the end: 看病了. The end 了 often sounds like a change or current relevance. With a clear past time, 去看了病 or 去看病了 is very common.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Completed action | 我看了病，拿了药。 | 我看病，拿了药。 |
| Current relevance | 他看病了，不在家。 | 他看病，不在家。 |
| Past trip | 我昨天去看了病。 | 我昨天看病。 |
Does 去医院 mean the same as 看病?
No. 去医院 means go to the hospital; 看病 means actually get medical care.
去医院 only means you go to the hospital. You could be visiting a friend, working, or picking up medicine. 看病 is the medical visit itself. If you mean go to the hospital to see a doctor, say 去医院看病. That pairs the place with the action. “要看病，去哪里？” (Need to see a doctor, where to go?) ── [《问问题》](/read/asking-questions-daily-life#s10)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Place plus action | 去医院看病 | 去医院 = 看病? |
| Medical visit | 我要去看病。 | 我要去医院。 (if you mean seeing a doctor) |
Appears in Stories 3 stories
Real context sentences across different daily scenarios and graded readings.
Before you read: this is a short rhyming poem. You will meet a doctor who asks about seeing and hearing. Try to spot words you already know!
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看病 医生看，医生问问题。
Follow a traveler's unexpected hospital stay in China, where counting days and costs becomes practical learning. Practice numbers, dates, food prices, and simple descriptions of a doctor and room.
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看病 非常贵，吃饭不便宜。
Before you read, think about the questions you ask every day. This simple poem shows you how to ask age, price, time, and more in friendly Chinese.
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要 看病 ，去哪里？
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