Covid-19 Related words for Chinese Learners
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, Covid-19 has become a commonly discussed topic in our daily lives. It has influenced the way we live, work, play, and of course, the terms we use whenever this topic arises in our day-to-day conversations.
In this article, we will cover some frequently used or seen terms related to Covid-19. Stay tune to this page to learn some new vocabulary.
Covid-19 - 新型冠状病毒
The full formal term for Covid-19 in Chinese is 新型冠状病毒(xīn xíng guān zhuàng bìng), which refers to novel coronavirus. The shorter abbreviated form for this term is called 新冠病毒(xīn guān bìng dú), which may appear in newspaper and broadcast. In daily conversations, people often address Covid-19 using a relatively general term, called 疫情(yì qíng), which basically refers to a situation of a virus outbreak.
Pandemic - 全球大流行
Since Covid-19 is an infectious disease that spreads around the globe and affects the world population, it is termed a pandemic. In Chinese, pandemic can be called as 大流行病(dà liú xíng bìng) or 全球大流行(quán qiú dà liú xíng). 流行 basically means something that is on-trend at the moment. 大(big) or 全球(globe) highlights the extent of the spread of a disease, which directly translates the prefix "pan" in the word "pandemic".
Epidemic - 传染病
Although the words "pandemic" and "epidemic" look very similar, their meanings are quite different. The prefix "epi", has the meaning of "among" and "around". Hence, unlike pandemic, "epidemic" stresses more on the spread of the disease itself than the scope. In Chinese, the word “epidemic” can be translated into 传染病(chuán rǎn bìng), where 传染 means "infectious" and 病 can mean "disease" or "illness".
Mask - 口罩
Now masks have become a necessity in our daily life. In Chinese, the general term for mask is 口罩(kǒu zhào) where 口 refers to mouth and 罩 refers to cover. There are various types of masks available in the market, some commonly sold ones are:
医用口罩(yī yòng kǒu zhào, medical mask)
一次性口罩(yī cì xìng kǒu zhào, mask for one-time usage)
棉布口罩(mián bù kǒu zhào, cotton mask)
N95口罩(N jiǔ wǔ kǒu zhào, N95 mask)
The verb used when it comes to wearing a mask is called 戴(dài), which means "wear" in English. Hence, remember to 戴口罩 whenever we go out the door will be translated into "出门要记得戴口罩。"
Quarantine - 隔离;
Stay-Home Notice - 居家通知令
The word "quarantine" is Chinese is called 隔离, where 隔 means "to separate" and 离 means "to divide" or "to part ways". To say a 14-day quarantine period in Chinese, it would be 隔离14天(gé lí shí sì tiān).
In Singapore, a quarantine order is termed as 隔离令(gé lí lìng), which is usually done at home or in an assigned hotel. If it is home quarantine order, then it is called 居家隔离令(jū jiā gé lí lìng) where 居家 simply means stay at home.
In addition, for stay-home notice (SHN), the Chinese term for that would be 居家通知令(jū jiā tōng zhī lìng), which means it is compulsory to stay at home until the notice date is expired.
Wash Hand - 洗手
Washing or sanitizing our hands is an important way to avoid contracting the virus. The verb "wash" is called 洗(xǐ) in Chinese while our "hands" is called 手(shǒu). So always remember to wash your hands frequently or 勤洗手(qín xǐ shǒu) wherever you go.
Swab Test - 新冠检测 or 拭子检测
In Singapore, Covid-19 is diagnosed via swab test and the test result would usually take 1 day to receive. The general name for Covid-19 test is 新冠病毒检测(xīn guān bìng dú jiǎn cè), or 新冠检测(xīn guān jiǎn cè) in its shorter form.
However, the more professional and accurate term for swab test in Chinese is called 拭子检测(shì zi jiǎn cè), where 拭子 is the direct translation for the word "swab" and 检测 means "testing".
Measure Temperature - 量体温
In most public places like shopping malls, it is a must to measure the temperature before entering these places. The character 量(liáng) means the verb "measure" in English and 体温(tǐ wēn) means "body temperature". A thermometer, which is used to measure temperature, is called 温度计(wēn dù jì) in Chinese.
Symptom - 症状
Some common Covid symptoms include:
Fever (发烧, fā shāo)
Dry cough (咳嗽, ké sòu)
Tiredness (疲累, pí lèi)
They are collectively called as 症状(zhèng zhuàng). 症 itself can mean "disease" while 状 often refers to "state of being".
Other Covid-19 Related Terms
密切接触者(close contact, mì qiè jiē chù zhě)
确诊病例(confirmed cases, què zhěn bìng lì)
疑似病例(suspected cases, yí sì bìng lì)
潜伏期(incubation period, qián fú qi）
飞沫传播(droplet transmission, fēi mò chuán bò)
Should you have any questions or wish to delve deeper into the terminology discussed in this article, please feel free to leave a comment below. For those interested in expanding their Chinese language skills, we're here to offer personalized consultations at your convenience. We look forward to welcoming you to our next blog post!
In this piece, we'll explore commonly encountered terms associated with Covid-19. Keep an eye on this space to enrich your vocabulary. Interested in mastering Mandarin? Join our Chinese language courses in Singapore and embark on your language-learning journey!