病床 in 30 Seconds
- A hospital bed used for patients in medical facilities.
- Combines the characters for 'illness' and 'bed'.
- Uses the measure word '张' (zhāng) for counting.
- Central to discussions about healthcare capacity and patient care.
The Chinese word 病床 (bìngchuáng) is a compound noun that literally translates to 'illness bed' or more commonly in English, a hospital bed. It is a fundamental term in medical, social, and logistical contexts within the Chinese language. At its core, the word combines 病 (bìng), representing sickness or disease, and 床 (chuáng), meaning bed. This term is not merely used to describe a piece of furniture but often serves as a metric for healthcare capacity and a symbol of the patient experience within the healthcare system.
- Physical Description
- A 病床 is specifically designed for patients in a clinical setting, often featuring wheels for mobility, adjustable height, and side rails for safety. In modern Chinese hospitals, these are increasingly high-tech, referred to as 智能病床 (zhìnéng bìngchuáng).
这家医院增加了五十张病床以应对流感季节。 (This hospital added fifty hospital beds to cope with the flu season.)
In daily usage, you will encounter this word in news reports discussing healthcare infrastructure, in conversations between doctors and families, and in literature describing the fragility of life. When a person is hospitalized, we say they 'occupy a bed' (占病床) or that the hospital is 'short of beds' (病床紧张). This latter phrase is extremely common in major Chinese cities like Beijing or Shanghai, where top-tier hospitals (三甲医院) often operate at over 100% capacity.
- Systemic Context
- In China's healthcare statistics, 'beds per thousand people' (每千人口病床数) is a key indicator of regional development. Therefore, 病床 carries a weight of social responsibility and government planning.
他在病床边照顾了母亲整整一个星期。 (He looked after his mother by the hospital bed for a whole week.)
Culturally, the space around a 病床 is considered a place of deep familial duty. In China, it is very common for family members to stay overnight in the hospital room, often sleeping on a small foldable chair or cot next to the 病床 to provide constant care (陪护). This differs from many Western systems where nursing staff handle almost all personal care. Thus, the 病床 is a focal point for family interaction during times of crisis.
- Metaphorical Use
- While usually literal, 'lying on a hospital bed' (躺在病床上) can metaphorically represent a state of helplessness or a forced pause in one's career or life trajectory.
即使躺在病床上，他依然挂念着公司的项目。 (Even while lying on a hospital bed, he was still worried about the company's projects.)
老教授在病床上完成了他的最后一本著作。 (The old professor completed his last book while on his hospital bed.)
To summarize, 病床 is an essential A2-level word that bridges basic vocabulary about objects with more complex discussions about health, family, and society. Whether you are reading a medical report, watching a TV drama, or visiting a friend, understanding the nuances of this word is vital for navigating Chinese-speaking environments.
Using 病床 (bìngchuáng) correctly involves understanding its typical verb pairings and measure words. Because it is a physical object, it often follows verbs of placement or location. However, because it is a medical resource, it also appears in administrative and statistical contexts.
- Common Verb Pairings
- 1. 躺在 (tǎng zài) - to lie on.
2. 预订 (yùdìng) - to reserve/book.
3. 腾出 (téng chū) - to vacate/make room for.
4. 增加 (zēngjiā) - to increase/add.
护士正忙着为新病人准备病床。 (The nurse is busy preparing a hospital bed for the new patient.)
In a medical setting, the sentence structure often revolves around the availability of the bed. For example, '没有病床了' (There are no more hospital beds) is a phrase that indicates a full capacity. Conversely, '安排病床' (to arrange a bed) is what a hospital administrator does when admitting a patient.
- Descriptive Adjectives
- Common adjectives include: 干净的 (clean), 舒适的 (comfortable), 自动的 (automatic), and 拥挤的 (crowded - usually referring to the ward containing the beds).
由于突发事故，急诊室的病床瞬间全满了。 (Due to the sudden accident, the ER beds were all full in an instant.)
Furthermore, the word is often used with prepositions like '在...上' (on...) or '在...旁' (beside...). '在病床上' describes the state of the patient, while '在病床旁' describes the state of the caregiver or visitor. This distinction is crucial for accurate storytelling in Chinese.
他已经在病床上躺了一个月了。 (He has already been lying in the hospital bed for a month.)
In more advanced contexts, you might see it used in policy discussions. '病床周转率' (bìngchuáng zhōuzhuǎnlǜ) refers to the bed turnover rate, a key metric for hospital efficiency. While an A2 learner doesn't need to produce this, recognizing the root word '病床' allows them to decode the general meaning of the technical term.
我们需要更多的病床来照顾老年病人。 (We need more hospital beds to take care of elderly patients.)
这款新型病床可以自动调节高度。 (This new type of hospital bed can automatically adjust its height.)
In conclusion, mastering the use of 病床 involves placing it within the spatial and administrative framework of a hospital. By using the correct measure words and verbs, you can accurately describe medical situations in Chinese with clarity and precision.
Understanding where 病床 (bìngchuáng) appears in the real world helps in developing listening and situational awareness. It is a high-frequency word in several specific domains of Chinese life.
- Hospitals and Clinics
- This is the most obvious location. You will hear nurses say '请回到病床上' (Please return to your bed) or doctors asking '病床安排好了吗？' (Has the bed been arranged?). It is the central piece of equipment in any inpatient ward.
在拥挤的走廊里，甚至也摆放了几张临时病床。 (In the crowded hallway, even a few temporary hospital beds were placed.)
In the news, '病床' is often discussed during public health crises. For instance, during the construction of the Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, the number of '病床' was a daily headline. Media reports frequently focus on the 'shortage of hospital beds' (病床缺口) in developing rural areas versus the 'utilization rate of beds' (病床使用率) in urban centers.
- Medical Dramas and Literature
- Terms like '病榻' (bìngtà) are more literary, but '病床' is the modern standard used in TV shows like 'The Bond' or 'Medical Examiner Dr. Qin'. It sets the scene for vulnerability and care.
这部电影的开头，主角正虚弱地躺在病床上。 (At the beginning of this movie, the protagonist is lying weakly on a hospital bed.)
You will also hear it in social work and charity contexts. NGOs might talk about 'donating hospital beds' (捐赠病床) to poor communities. In insurance commercials, you might hear about 'hospital bed subsidies' (病床补贴) as part of a health plan. It is a word that connects the physical reality of illness with the economic reality of healthcare.
- Daily Conversations
- Friends might say, '我昨天去医院看他了，他还在病床上躺着呢' (I went to see him at the hospital yesterday; he's still lying in bed). It's a way to convey the seriousness of an illness without necessarily naming the disease.
政府计划在未来三年内增加一万张病床。 (The government plans to add ten thousand hospital beds in the next three years.)
这张病床是专门为儿童设计的。 (This hospital bed is specifically designed for children.)
In summary, '病床' is ubiquitous in any discussion involving the healthcare system, patient care, or medical news in China. Recognizing it will help you understand a wide range of topics from personal health to national policy.
While 病床 (bìngchuáng) is a relatively straightforward word, English speakers and beginner Chinese learners often make specific errors in its usage, particularly regarding measure words, prepositions, and synonyms.
- Mistake 1: Incorrect Measure Word
- Learners often use '个' (gè) for everything. While '一个病床' might be understood, it sounds uneducated. The correct measure word is always '张' (zhāng).
错误：医院有五十个病床。 (Wrong: The hospital has 50 beds.)
正确：医院有五十张病床。 (Right: The hospital has 50 beds.)
Another common error is confusing '病床' (the physical bed) with '床位' (chuángwèi - the available slot or space for a patient). While they are often interchangeable, '床位' is used more in administrative contexts. For example, you '申请床位' (apply for a bed slot) rather than '申请病床' (apply for the physical object).
- Mistake 2: Confusing with '床' (chuáng)
- In English, we just say 'bed'. In Chinese, if you are in a hospital, using '床' alone is fine in informal speech, but '病床' is necessary to specify the medical context. Using '病床' to describe your bed at home is incorrect and sounds like you are saying your home is a hospital.
错误：我家里有一张舒服的病床。 (Wrong: I have a comfortable hospital bed at home - unless you actually do for medical reasons!)
正确：我家里有一张舒服的床。 (Right: I have a comfortable bed at home.)
Prepositional errors are also frequent. English speakers might say '在病床' (in hospital bed), but Chinese requires the postposition '上' (shàng). You are 'on' the bed in Chinese logic: '在病床上'.
- Mistake 3: Overusing '病' (bìng)
- Some learners try to create terms like '病房床' (hospital room bed). This is redundant. '病床' already implies it is in a hospital setting.
医生正站在病床旁边记录病情。 (The doctor is standing beside the hospital bed recording the condition.)
由于没有空余的病床，他只能在急诊室等待。 (Since there were no spare hospital beds, he could only wait in the emergency room.)
Lastly, remember that '病床' is a formal noun. In very casual conversation with a nurse, you might just say '这张床' (this bed), but in any report or formal explanation, '病床' is the required term. Avoiding these common pitfalls will make your Chinese sound much more natural and professional.
To truly master 病床 (bìngchuáng), it is helpful to compare it with related terms. Chinese has a rich vocabulary for medical equipment and states of rest, and choosing the right one depends on the context.
- 病床 vs. 床位 (Chuángwèi)
- 病床 refers to the physical piece of furniture. 床位 refers to the 'slot' or 'vacancy' in a hospital. You count '病床' when buying equipment, but you count '床位' when managing patient admissions.
- 病床 vs. 病榻 (Bìngtà)
- 病榻 is a formal, literary term for a sickbed. You will see it in novels or formal eulogies (e.g., '缠绵病榻' - to be bedridden for a long time). You would never use '病榻' in a modern hospital conversation.
虽然医院有很多病床，但可用的床位已经很少了。 (Although the hospital has many beds, available slots are already very few.)
Other related terms include 担架 (dānjià), which is a 'stretcher'. While both are used for sick people, a 担架 is for transport, whereas a 病床 is for recovery. There is also the 手术台 (shǒushùtái), or 'operating table', which is used only during surgery.
- 陪护床 (Péihùchuáng)
- This is a 'caregiver's bed'. In many Chinese hospitals, a small foldable bed is provided next to the 病床 for family members. Knowing this distinction is helpful when staying in a hospital.
护士帮他在病床旁加了一张陪护床。 (The nurse helped him add a caregiver bed next to the hospital bed.)
In a broader sense, if you want to describe someone who is bedridden but not necessarily in a hospital, you might use 卧床 (wòchuáng). For example, '卧床不起' (wòchuáng bùqǐ) means 'bedridden and unable to get up'. This describes the person's state rather than the object they are lying on.
为了安全起见，所有的病床都必须装有护栏。 (For safety reasons, all hospital beds must be equipped with guardrails.)
By understanding these synonyms and related terms, you can more precisely describe medical scenarios and avoid the repetitive use of '病床' when a more specific word like '床位' or '担架' might be more appropriate. This elevates your Chinese from basic to more nuanced and professional levels.
Examples by Level
这是一张病床。
This is a hospital bed.
Uses the measure word 张 (zhāng).
病床在那儿。
The hospital bed is over there.
Uses 那儿 (nà'er) for location.
医院有病床。
The hospital has beds.
Simple Subject-Verb-Object.
病床很大。
The hospital bed is big.
Adjective predicate without 'is'.
我不喜欢病床。
I don't like hospital beds.
Negative sentence with 不 (bù).
那是谁的病床？
Whose hospital bed is that?
Possessive question with 谁的 (shéi de).
这里有两张病床。
There are two hospital beds here.
Number + Measure word + Noun.
病床是白的。
The hospital bed is white.
Color description with 是...的 (shì...de).
他正躺在病床上休息。
He is resting on the hospital bed.
Uses 正在 (zhèngzài) for continuous action.
护士正在清理病床。
The nurse is cleaning the hospital bed.
Action verb 清理 (qīnglǐ).
请把病人抬到病床上。
Please lift the patient onto the hospital bed.
把 (bǎ) construction for disposal.
这张病床很舒服。
This hospital bed is very comfortable.
Specific demonstrative 这张 (zhè zhāng).
他坐在病床旁边看书。
He is sitting beside the hospital bed reading.
Location phrase 旁边 (pángbiān).
我们需要换一张干净的病床。
We need to change to a clean hospital bed.
Modal verb 需要 (xūyào).
医生在病床前检查病人。
The doctor is examining the patient in front of the bed.
Location phrase 前 (qián).
这家医院的病床不够了。
This hospital doesn't have enough beds.
Adjective 不够 (bùgòu) meaning 'not enough'.
由于病人太多，医院不得不增加临时病床。
Because there were too many patients, the hospital had to add temporary beds.
不得不 (bùdébù) means 'have no choice but to'.
病床的质量直接影响病人的康复。
The quality of hospital beds directly affects the recovery of patients.
Subject as a phrase: 病床的质量.
他在病床上度过了难忘的一个月。
He spent an unforgettable month in the hospital bed.
Verb 度过 (dùguò) for passing time.
这种新型病床可以根据需要调节高度。
This new type of hospital bed can adjust its height as needed.
根据 (gēnjù) meaning 'according to'.
只有申请到病床，他才能住院治疗。
Only after securing a hospital bed can he be hospitalized for treatment.
只有...才... (zhǐyǒu... cái...) conditional.
护士细心地整理好每一张病床。
The nurse carefully arranged every single hospital bed.
Adverb 细心地 (xìxīn dì) for 'carefully'.
病床旁边的柜子里放着他的私人物品。
His personal belongings are in the cabinet next to the hospital bed.
Existential sentence with 放着 (fàngzhe).
如果你感到不舒服，就先躺在病床上吧。
If you feel unwell, just lie on the hospital bed first.
If... then... structure 如果...就... (rúguǒ... jiù...).
政府拨专款用于购置先进的数字化病床。
The government allocated special funds for the purchase of advanced digital hospital beds.
Formal verb 购置 (gòuzhì) for 'purchase'.
该地区的病床空置率一直维持在较低水平。
The hospital bed vacancy rate in this area has remained at a low level.
Technical term 空置率 (kòngzhìlǜ).
即便是在病床上，他依然坚持处理公司事务。
Even while in a hospital bed, he still insisted on handling company affairs.
Concession clause 即便...依然... (jíbiàn... yīrán...).
医院通过优化流程，提高了病床的周转效率。
The hospital improved bed turnover efficiency by optimizing processes.
Through... improved... 通过...提高了... structure.
这张病床见证了无数病人的痛苦与希望。
This hospital bed has witnessed the pain and hope of countless patients.
Personification with the verb 见证 (jiànzhèng).
为了腾出病床给急诊病人，一些康复者被要求提前出院。
To vacate beds for emergency patients, some recovering patients were asked to be discharged early.
Purpose clause 为了 (wèile).
他坐在病床边，紧紧握着父亲那双干枯的手。
Sitting by the hospital bed, he tightly held his father's withered hands.
Descriptive adverbs and adjectives.
病床的设计应当充分考虑到病人的舒适度与安全性。
The design of hospital beds should fully consider the comfort and safety of patients.
Formal auxiliary verb 应当 (yīngdāng).
在资源匮乏的偏远地区，一张简陋的病床也显得弥足珍贵。
In remote areas where resources are scarce, even a simple hospital bed is precious.
Idiom 弥足珍贵 (mízú zhēnguì) meaning 'extremely precious'.
长期瘫痪的他，生活范围仅限于那张小小的病床。
For him, who has been paralyzed for a long time, his world is limited to that small hospital bed.
Structure 仅限于 (jǐn xiànyú) meaning 'limited to'.
医院管理局正努力解决病床供需失衡的严峻问题。
The Hospital Authority is working hard to solve the severe problem of bed supply and demand imbalance.
Compound noun 供需失衡 (gōngxū shīhéng).
他在病床上的深刻反思，最终促成了他人生观的转变。
His profound reflection on the hospital bed eventually led to a change in his outlook on life.
Abstract subject: 在病床上的深刻反思.
这种多功能病床集治疗、监测与护理于一体。
This multifunctional hospital bed integrates treatment, monitoring, and nursing.
Structure 集...于一体 (jí... yú yītǐ).
随着老龄化社会的到来，社会对长期护理病床的需求激增。
With the arrival of an aging society, the demand for long-term care hospital beds has surged.
随着...的到来 (suízhe... de dàolái) structure.
医生在病床前低声交代着术后的注意事项。
The doctor whispered instructions for post-operative care at the bedside.
Verb 交代 (jiāodài) meaning 'to explain/instruct'.
由于病床紧张，许多择期手术不得不推迟。
Due to the shortage of hospital beds, many elective surgeries had to be postponed.
Technical term 择期手术 (zéqī shǒushù).
病床不仅是医疗器械，更是人性关怀在冰冷体制中的微弱延伸。
A hospital bed is not just a piece of medical equipment, but a faint extension of human care within a cold system.
Not only... but even... 不仅是...更是... structure.
他笔下的病床，隐喻着现代文明中个体面对疾苦时的孤立无援。
The hospital bed in his writing metaphors the isolation of individuals facing suffering in modern civilization.
Literary verb 隐喻 (yǐnyù) meaning 'to metaphorize'.
在生死交织的病床前，名利地位都显得如此荒诞而虚无。
Before the hospital bed where life and death intertwine, fame and wealth seem so absurd and nihilistic.
Parallel structure 名利地位.
对病床周转率的盲目追求，有时会牺牲医疗服务的质量与温度。
The blind pursuit of bed turnover rates can sometimes sacrifice the quality and warmth of medical services.
Abstract noun 追求 (zhuīqiú) as subject.
他那颤抖的手在病床边缘摸索，试图抓住生命最后的余温。
His trembling hand fumbled at the edge of the hospital bed, trying to grasp the last warmth of life.
Vivid descriptive verbs 颤抖 (chàndǒu) and 摸索 (mōsuǒ).
医院通过大数据分析，实现了对病床资源的动态调配与精准管理。
Through big data analysis, the hospital has achieved dynamic allocation and precise management of bed resources.
Sophisticated terminology 动态调配 (dòngtài diàopèi).
这张历经沧桑的病床，记录了这家百年老院的兴衰荣辱。
This hospital bed, having weathered many changes, records the ups and downs of this century-old hospital.
Idiom 历经沧桑 (lìjīng cāngsāng).
即便处在弥留之际，他依然在病床上保持着那份难得的从容与尊严。
Even on his deathbed, he still maintained that rare calmness and dignity on the hospital bed.
Formal phrase 弥留之际 (míliú zhī jì).
Summary
The word 病床 (bìngchuáng) is the standard Chinese term for a hospital bed. It is used in both literal descriptions of medical equipment and administrative discussions about healthcare capacity. Example: 医院增加了十张病床 (The hospital added ten beds).
- A hospital bed used for patients in medical facilities.
- Combines the characters for 'illness' and 'bed'.
- Uses the measure word '张' (zhāng) for counting.
- Central to discussions about healthcare capacity and patient care.
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More health words
一粒
A2One pill; a grain (for small, round objects like pills).
一片
A2One tablet; a slice (for flat objects like pills).
不正常
A2abnormal
以上
A2Above, over (a number)
酸痛
A2Sore; aching (especially muscles).
倒是
A2On the contrary; actually.
针灸
A2Acupuncture; traditional Chinese therapy.
扎针
A2to give an injection
急性
B1acute (illness)
急性病
B1Acute disease.
