Want to actually learn this — with audio, spaced repetition and progress tracking?

Study in the app →

Help improve this content. If something looks off, let us know →

Mandarin Chinese · HSK 3.0 Band 2 · Chapter 19

你哪儿不舒服 Where does it hurt?

Nǐ nǎr bù shūfu

Dr Lin's clinic. Wang Yue's first visit. Builds the 'see-a-doctor' frame: 哪儿不舒服 (where does it hurt) / 发烧 (fever) / 咳嗽 (cough) / 嗓子疼 (sore throat). Introduces the modal verbs 必须 (must) / 应该 (should).

你哪儿不舒服? — Where does it hurt?

  1. 高天 hǎo, shìgāoshēng. qǐngzuò. érshū? Hi, I'm Doctor Lin. Please sit. Where does it hurt?
  2. 王月 gāoshēnghǎo. shēntàihǎo, tóuténg, sǎngziténg. Hello, Dr Gao. I'm not feeling well — my head hurts, and my throat too.
  3. 高天 hǎo. duōjiǔle? OK. How long?
  4. 王月 sāntiānle. háishuìzhuó, yǎnjīngténg. Three days. I can't sleep, and my eyes hurt too.
  5. 高天 xiāngěijiǎnchájiǎnchá. Let me check you first.

你发烧吗? — Do you have a fever?

  1. 高天 shāoma? souma? Do you have a fever? A cough?
  2. 王月 diǎnérshāo. sou. A little fever. And a cough too.
  3. 高天 kànláishìgǎnmàole. desǎngzihěnhóng. Looks like a cold. Your throat is very red.
  4. 王月 yīnggāichīshénmeyào? What medicine should I take?
  5. 高天 xiānkāidiǎnéryào. hǎohǎoxiūxi. I'll prescribe some medicine first. You must rest well.

你应该多喝热水 — You should drink lots of hot water

  1. 高天 gǎnmàoshìbìng, dànshìhǎohǎokànyikàn. A cold isn't serious, but you must take care.
  2. 王月 hǎode. háiyàozuòshénme? OK. What else do I need to do?
  3. 高天 yīnggāiduōshuǐ. yàoliángde. You should drink lots of hot water. No cold drinks.
  4. 王月 shuǐzhēndeyǒuyòngma? Is hot water really useful?
  5. 高天 shìyishìjiùzhīdàole. menmíngtiānzàikàn. Try it and see. Let's check again tomorrow.
汉字PinyinTừ loạiNghĩa
舒服 shūfu adj. comfortable; well
不舒服 bù shūfu adj. unwell; uncomfortable (fixed phrase)
医生 yīshēng n. doctor
医院 yīyuàn n. hospital; clinic
看病 kàn bìng v. see a doctor
检查 jiǎnchá v. check; examine
发烧 fā shāo v. have a fever (separable verb)
咳嗽 késou v. cough
感冒 gǎnmào v./n. catch cold; cold
嗓子 sǎngzi n. throat
哪儿 nǎr pron. where (Level 1 revisit; formal in clinic context)
高天 Gāo Tiān pn. Lin Tian (persona — TCM doctor at the community clinic)
汉字PinyinTừ loạiNghĩa
shū unfold; comfortable (in 舒服) 舒服 shūfu — comfortable; well不舒服 bù shūfu — unwell; uncomfortable (fixed phrase)
sǎng throat (in 嗓子) 嗓子 sǎngzi — throat
jiǎn check; examine (in 检查) 检查 jiǎnchá — check; examine
chá investigate; check (in 检查) 检查 jiǎnchá — check; examine
shāo burn; fever (in 发烧) 发烧 fā shāo — have a fever (separable verb)
cough (Bk2) 咳嗽 késou — cough
sòu cough (in 咳嗽) 咳嗽 késou — cough
mào emit; risk; catch (in 感冒) 感冒 gǎnmào — catch cold; cold
yào medicine; herb 吃药 chī yào — take medicine
must; necessarily (in 必须) 必须 bìxū — must; have to
(in 必须); also: must; beard (with 鬚) 必须 bìxū — must; have to
liáng cool (temperature; pair with 热) 凉快 liángkuai — cool; pleasantly cool凉水 liáng shuǐ — cold water (pair with 热水)

doctor; medicine (chapter clinic anchor) Viết

7 strokes enclosure

Associative compound: 匚 (an open box / receptacle) + 矢 (arrow) — historically depicted "treating arrow wounds." The simplified form keeps the basic structure. Modern: doctor / medicine. Anchors 医生 (doctor) and 医院 (hospital).

yuàn institution; courtyard (in 医院) Viết

9 strokes left-right radical 阝

Phono-semantic compound: 阝 (left, hill / institution radical — derived from 阜) + 完 (wán, phonetic). Original sense: "an enclosed institution / courtyard." Modern: institutional buildings — 医院 (hospital), 学院 (academy), 法院 (court).

jiǎn check; examine (in 检查) Viết

11 strokes left-right radical 木

Phono-semantic compound: 木 (wood radical, originally referring to "tagging / inspecting wooden goods") + 佥 (qiān, phonetic). Modern: "check / inspect." Anchors 检查 (the standard verb for medical exams).

chá investigate; check (in 检查) Viết

9 strokes top-bottom

Compound: 木 (wood) over 旦 (dawn / day). Original sense: "inspecting wood by morning light = investigating." Modern: "investigate / check / look up." Pairs with 检 in 检查 (medical exam) and stands alone in 查字典 ("look it up in the dictionary").

comfortable; serve (in 舒服) Nhận biết

8 strokes left-right radical 月

shāo burn; fever (in 发烧) Nhận biết

10 strokes left-right radical 火

sòu cough (in 咳嗽) Nhận biết

14 strokes left-right radical 口

mào emit; risk; catch (in 感冒) Nhận biết

9 strokes top-bottom

sǎng throat (in 嗓子) Nhận biết

13 strokes left-right radical 口

必须 / 应该 — 必要 vs 建议 必须 / 应该 — must vs should

"必须"和"应该"都表示"应当", 但程度不同. (1) 必须 = "强制 / 一定要", 用于规则 / 医嘱 / 法律, 没有商量余地. 你必须吃药. (2) 应该 = "建议 / 道理上要", 是社会期望或建议, 比较软. 你应该多休息. 否定式: 不必 / 不用 (代替 必须的否定); 不应该 (代替应该的否定). 注意: (a) 必须不能加"很", 没有程度. (b) 应该可以单独答应: "应该的"= "of course". (c) 两个都是能愿动词, 必须放在主要动词前面.

必须 and 应该 both mean "should" — but at different obligation levels. (1) 必须 (bìxū) = strict requirement (rules / medical orders / laws). No negotiation. 你必须吃药 ("you must take the medicine"). (2) 应该 (yīnggāi) = advisory / moral. Social expectation, softer. 你应该多休息 ("you should rest more"). NEGATION: 必须 has no direct negation — use 不必 / 不用 (don't need to). 应该 negates as 不应该. CRITICAL: (a) 必须 has no degree — can't say *很必须. (b) 应该 can stand alone as a response: "应该的" ("of course / it's the right thing"). (c) Both are modal verbs — they precede the main verb (subject + 必须 / 应该 + V + ...).

  • 你必须吃药. Nǐ bìxū chī yào. You must take the medicine. (medical order)
  • 你应该多喝水. Nǐ yīnggāi duō hē shuǐ. You should drink more water. (advisory)
  • 感冒了, 你必须休息. Gǎnmào le, nǐ bìxū xiūxi. If you've got a cold, you must rest.
  • 我们应该看医生. Wǒmen yīnggāi kàn yīshēng. We should see a doctor. (group advisory)

医院 / 检查 / 病人 — 医-类双音节重音 Stress patterns in medical disyllables: 医生 / 医院 / 检查 / 病人

Want to actually learn this — with audio, spaced repetition and progress tracking?

Study in the app →

Report an issue

Spotted an error or have a suggestion? Every report helps us improve this content.