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CHINESE VOCAB

If you live in China you’ll undoubtedly have visited a Chinese hospital, drank some crazy Chinese medicine, had communication barriers with the Doctors and Nurses and found yourself with a prescription of a billion different medicines and instructions.

Being sick in a foreign country can be super overwhelming, especially when you’re far away from family members and loved ones. Who’s gonna make your soup, bring you blankets and love you unconditionally when you’re all bunged up?

Side note: this video was filmed in September 2019. I am healthy and my heart goes out to those quarantined in China, and globally at this time.

Basic vocabulary when at the hospital

In this video, I visit the hospital and break down some of the basic phrases you need to know to communicate effectively with your Doctor or Nurse.

Also, when I first arrived in China I was super surprised to be visiting a hospital for something as simple as a cold. Clinics and Doctors Surgeries are not so common, for most illnesses you go straight to the hospital and they’ll

I’ve known expats who have taken Chinese colleagues or friends with them to the hospital to help with translation. It really helps when you’re in distress to be with someone you trust has your best interests at heart and can speak the language fluently. However, don’t get sucked into this trap of asking someone to speak for you. Actively seek out new words and situations that expand your Chinese vocab.

Finally, always check with your insurance before visiting a hospital. Most insurances work with a number of approved hospitals, so make sure you’re covered before getting treatment and ending up with a huge bill that the insurance won’t cover.

Now, for those phrases:

I have a cold.
我感冒了
wǒ gǎn mào le

Fever
发烧
fā shāo

Headache
头疼
tóu téng

Dizziness
头晕
tóu yūn

Nausea 🤢
恶心
é xīn

Vomit
呕吐
óu tù

Diarrhea
拉肚子
lā dù zi

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Do you want to master Chinese tones?

If you want to be confident that your tones sound good when you speak Mandarin, and you want strategies to effectively learn Chinese on your own, then I’m here to help you! 🙌🏾

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A quick and important disclosure:
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