症 meaning and stroke order
Ailment, disease, illness
How to write 症, stroke by stroke
10 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 症
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- disease
- illness
- abdominal tumor
- bowel obstruction
- (fig.) sticking point
How 症 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Sickness.
疒 gives the meaning and 正 hints at the sound.
Radical: 疒 (sickness), shared by 127 characters on this site.
How to remember 症
症 is the sickness radical 疒 wrapped around 正 (zhèng), which gives the sound. Picture a sickbed 疒 holding a patient whose illness has a name that sounds like zhèng.
症 is mostly a bound element that names diseases or medical conditions, so it usually appears inside words like 症状 (zhèngzhuàng), 癌症 (áizhèng), and 抑郁症 (yìyùzhèng). It often works like the English suffix for a condition, as in 恐惧症 (kǒngjùzhèng) phobia. Example: 你有什么症状？ (Nǐ yǒu shénme zhèngzhuàng?) What symptoms do you have?
Common mistake: Learners often write 证 (zhèng, proof) or 正 (zhèng) instead of 症 because they share the same sound. If the word is about illness, it needs the 疒 radical. Also note that 症结 is read zhēngjié with a first tone, not zhèngjié.
Common words with 症
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 症状 | zhèngzhuàng | symptom (of an illness) | HSK 6 |
| 癌症 | áizhèng | cancer | HSK 7-9 |
| 病症 | bìngzhèng | disease; illness | HSK 7-9 |
| 抑郁症 | yìyùzhèng | clinical depression | HSK 7-9 |
| 后遗症 | hòuyízhèng | (medicine) sequelae; residual effects | HSK 7-9 |
| 炎症 | yánzhèng | inflammation | HSK 7-9 |
| 症结 | zhēngjié | hard lump in the abdomen (in Chinese medicine); crux of an issue | HSK 7-9 |
| 恐惧症 | kǒngjùzhèng | phobia | |
| 综合症 | zōnghézhèng | syndrome | |
| 妄想症 | wàngxiǎngzhèng | delusional disorder; (fig.) paranoia | |
| 重症 | zhòngzhèng | acute (of medical condition); grave | |
| 强迫症 | qiǎngpòzhèng | obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) | |
| 并发症 | bìngfāzhèng | complications (undesired side-effect of medical procedure) | |
| 自闭症 | zìbìzhèng | autism |
症 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 症
How many strokes are in 症?
症 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 症 mean?
症 (zhèng) means ailment, disease, illness. A common word with it is 症状 (zhèngzhuàng), meaning "symptom (of an illness)".
How do you pronounce 症?
症 is pronounced zhèng, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 症?
The radical of 症 is 疒, which carries the idea of "sickness". Dictionaries list 症 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 症?
The traditional form of 症 is 癥. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 症 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 症 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 症 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 症 and 病 (bìng)?
病 is the general word for illness and can stand alone, as in 我病了 (wǒ bìng le), I am sick. 症 rarely stands alone. It names a specific condition or its signs, as in 炎症 (yánzhèng) inflammation or 症状 (zhèngzhuàng) symptom.
Can 症 be used for problems that are not medical?
Yes, in a figurative sense. 症结 (zhēngjié) means the crux or sticking point of an issue, and 后遗症 (hòuyízhèng) can describe lingering side effects of an event or policy, not just an illness.