n.
hospital ward; sickroom
病房
hospital ward; sickroom
Hospital ward or patient room (病 illness + 房 room); the physical room where patients stay during hospital treatment.
Common Usage & Traps
- 三号病房 — Ward No. 3 (how hospitals actually label a room)
- 在病房里 — in the ward (inside the space, emphasis on interior)
- 一间病房 — one ward room (rooms use 间, not 个)
- 病房门口 — the doorway of the ward
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住病房住院住院 is the fixed word for being admitted as a patient. 住病房 describes physically sleeping in a room, which sounds like squatting, not being hospitalized.
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一个病房一间病房Rooms take 间. 个 is technically heard, but 一间病房 is the standard and sounds far less boxy.
Can I say 他住病房 to mean he's in the hospital?
Say 他住院了, not 他住病房. The second one sounds like he's squatting in a room.
住院 is a fixed word meaning be admitted as a patient. 病房 is only the physical room, so it can't carry the medical status. 他住病房 paints a strange picture, like he just moved in. Meanwhile 护士去病房了 is fine — that's a nurse physically walking to the ward.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Patient status | 他住院了 | 他住病房 |
| Physical location | 他在3号病房 | 他住院在3号病房 |
| Staff moving around | 护士去病房了 | 护士住院了 |
If a nurse asks where my dad is, do I say 3号病房 or 3号病床?
病房 is the room; 病床 is the single bed inside it. Nurses want the bed number.
One 病房 holds several 病床, and hospitals number both. If you only give a ward number, staff still have to hunt. Doctors and nurses ask 几床？ because that pins down the exact patient. Use the ward number when you mean the room itself, and the bed number when you mean the bed.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| The room | 3号病房 / 3病室 | 3号病床 (that's just the bed) |
| The bed inside it | 3号病床 / 3床 | 3号病房 (too broad for staff) |
| Nurse hunting a patient | 几床？ | 几病房？ (unusual to staff) |
Do I need 里 in 他不在病房, or should it be 他不在病房里?
Both are fine. 里 just adds an inside the space flavor — not a grammar requirement.
When the place is a known, specific one, 在病房 is already complete. Adding 里 pushes the focus onto the physical interior, like pointing inside the room. Real speakers drop 里 constantly in fast conversation. As a rule of thumb, if the listener knows which ward you mean, 里 is optional.
“老先生回家了，不在病房。” (The old gentleman had gone home and wasn't in the ward.)
“老先生回家了，不在病房。” (The old gentleman had gone home and wasn't in the ward.)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Known, specific ward | 他不在病房 | 他不在病房里 (fine, but heavier) |
| Emphasis on interior | 他不在病房里 | 他不在病房 (drops the emphasis) |
| Talking about the whole hospital | 他不在医院 | 他不在病房 (too specific) |
Appears in Stories 2 stories
Real context sentences across different daily scenarios and graded readings.
Discover how a simple letter from a cookie seller led to an unexpected friendship with a famous scholar. This heartwarming story explores kindness and connection across social divides.
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他的一个朋友拿了一块饼干送到他的 病房 ，跟他开玩笑：“我给你吃一样东西。
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.
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老先生回家了，不在 病房 。
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