Identify the names of various objects found in the hospital environment using new words

Learning Hospital Vocabulary in Chinese

In this lesson, you will learn how to name different objects and people you can find in a hospital using new Chinese words. This will help you describe a hospital environment in Chinese.

Key Hospital Vocabulary

Here are the important words for objects and people you find in a hospital:

Chinese (Hanzi)	Pinyin	English
医院	yīyuàn	hospital
医生	yīshēng	doctor
护士	hùshi	nurse
病人	bìngrén	patient
药	yào	medicine
针	zhēn	injection/needle
床	chuáng	bed
体温计	tǐwēnjì	thermometer
听诊器	tīngzhěnqì	stethoscope
口罩	kǒuzhào	face mask
药片	yàopiàn	tablet/pill
房间	fángjiān	room
诊室	zhěnshì	consultation room
药房	yàofáng	pharmacy
候诊室	hòuzhěnshì	waiting room

Useful Phrases

Learn these common phrases for talking about the hospital:

• 这是医院。 — Zhè shì yīyuàn. — This is a hospital.
• 我在医院。 — Wǒ zài yīyuàn. — I am at the hospital.
• 我需要药。 — Wǒ xūyào yào. — I need medicine.
• 医生在这里。 — Yīshēng zài zhèlǐ. — The doctor is here.
• 护士量体温。 — Hùshi liáng tǐwēn. — The nurse measures temperature.

Example Conversation

Here is a simple dialogue using the new vocabulary:

A: 这是什么地方？ — Zhè shì shénme dìfang? — What place is this?

B: 这是医院。 — Zhè shì yīyuàn. — This is a hospital.

A: 医生在哪里？ — Yīshēng zài nǎlǐ? — Where is the doctor?

B: 医生在诊室。 — Yīshēng zài zhěnshì. — The doctor is in the consultation room.

A: 护士拿什么？ — Hùshi ná shénme? — What does the nurse hold?

B: 护士拿体温计。 — Hùshi ná tǐwēnjì. — The nurse holds a thermometer.

How to Use These Words

1. Use 医院 (yīyuàn) when you mean the whole hospital building.
2. Use 医生 (yīshēng) for a male or female doctor.
3. Use 护士 (hùshi) for a nurse of any gender.
4. Use 药 (yào) for medicine in general.
5. Use 诊室 (zhěnshì) for the room where the doctor sees patients.

Real-life application

If you visit Bugando Hospital or any local health center in Tanzania and meet a Chinese-speaking doctor or nurse, you can now use Chinese to ask for help. For example, you can say "我要买药" (Wǒ yào mǎi yào — I want to buy medicine) at a hospital pharmacy, or "医生在哪里？" (Yīshēng zài nǎlǐ? — Where is the doctor?) when you need medical assistance. This vocabulary is also useful if you travel to China and need to go to a hospital or clinic.