Chinese For Dummies (131 page)

Describing what ails you

First things first: You can't tell the doctor where it hurts if you don't know the word for what hurts. (Sure, you can point, I guess, but that only goes so far; when was the last time you tried pointing to internal organs?)
Table 19-1
spells out the general body parts.

Table 19-1 Basic Body Words

Maybe you're just now checking your old
wēndùjì
温度计
(
溫度計
) (one-doo-jee) (
thermometer
) and finding out
Wǒ fā shāo le!
我发烧了
! (
我發燒了
!) (waw fah shaow luh) (
I have a fever!
) Time to figure out what the problem is. Whether you make a sudden trip to the
jízhěnshì
急诊室
(
急診室
) (jee-jun-shir)
(
emergency room
) or take a normal visit to a private doctor's office, you'll probably field the same basic questions about your symptoms.
Table 19-2
lists some symptoms you may have.

Table 19-2 Common Medical Symptoms

In an emergency, you may not have the energy to remember both the pronunciation
and
the proper tone for the word you mean to use. You may want to say you're feeling kind of
tóuyūn
头晕
(
頭暈
)
(toe-yewn) (
dizzy
), but if it comes out sounding like
tuōyùn
托运
(
托運
)
(twaw-yewn) instead, you alert your caregiver that you're sending your luggage on ahead of you.

Talkin' the Talk

Kristen shows up for her appointment to see
Huò Dàifu
(Dr. Huo). Because this is Kristen's first visit to Dr. Huo, the
jiēdàiyuán
(jyeh-dye-ywan) (receptionist) needs her to fill out some forms before she sees the doctor to discuss her symptoms. (Track 28)

Jiēdàiyuán:

Nǐ shì lái kànbìng de ma?

nee shir lye kahn-beeng duh mah?

Have you come to see a doctor?

Kristen:

Shì de.

shir duh.

Yes.

Jiēdàiyuán:

Yǒu méiyǒu yīliáo bǎoxiǎn?

yo mayo ee-lyaow baow-shyan?

Do you have any medical insurance?

Kristen:

Yǒu.

yo.

Yes, I do.

Jiēdàiyuán:

Hǎo. Qǐng qiān yíxià zhèi zh
ā
ng biǎo.

how. cheeng chyan ee-shyah jay jahng byaow.

All right. Please fill out this form.

A short while later, the receptionist introduces Kristen to a
hùshì
(hoo-shir) (
nurse
), who plans to take her blood pressure.

Jiēdàiyuán:

Hùshì huì xiān liáng yíxià xuèyā.

hoo-shir hway shyan lyahng ee-shyah shweh-yah.

The nurse will first take your blood pressure.

Hùshì:

Qǐng juǎnqǐ nǐde xiùzi.

cheeng jwan-chee nee-duh shyo-dzuh.

Please roll up your sleeve.

Hùshì:

Hǎo. Huò Dàifu xiànzài gěi nǐ kànbìng.

how. hwaw dye-foo shyan-dzye gay nee kahn-beeng.

All right. Dr. Huo will see you now.

Kristen enters Dr. Huo's office, and after a few basic introductory questions, Dr. Huo asks her what brings her to his office.

Huò Dàifu:

Yǒu shénme zhèngzhuàng?

yo shummuh juhng-jwahng?

What sorts of symptoms do you have?

Kristen:

Wǒde hóulóng cóng zuótiān jiù tòngle.

waw-duh ho-loong tsoong dzwaw-tyan jyo toong-luh.

I've had this pain in my throat since yesterday.

Huò Dàifu:

Hǎo. Wǒ xiān yòng tīngzhěnqì tīng yíxià nǐde xīnzàng.

how. waw shyan yoong teeng-jun-chee teeng ee-shyah nee-duh shin-dzahng.

All right. I'm first going to use a stethoscope to listen to your heart.

Dr. Huo puts the stethoscope to Kristen's chest.

Huò Dàifu:

Shēn hūxī.

shun hoo-she.

Take a deep breath.

Dr. Huo finishes listening with the stethoscope and takes out a tongue depressor.

Huò Dàifu:

Qǐng bǎ zuǐ zhāngkāi, bǎ shétóu shēn chūlái . . . duì le. Nǐde hóulóng hǎoxiàng yǒu yìdiǎn fāyán.

cheeng bah dzway jahng-kye, bah shuh-to shun choo-lye . . . dway luh. nee-duh ho-loong how-shyahng yo ee-dyan fah-yan.

Please open your mouth and stick out your tongue . . . yes. Your throat seems to be inflamed.

Discussing your medical history

When you see a doctor for the first time, he or she will want to find out about your
bìng lì
病历
(
病歷
) (beeng lee) (
medical history
). You'll hear the following query:
Nǐ jiā yǒu méiyǒu _____ de bìnglì?
你家有没有
_____
的病历
? (
你家有沒有
_____
的病歷
?) (nee jyah yo mayo _____ duh beeng-lee?) (
Does your family have any history of _____?
)

Table 19-3
lists some of the more serious illnesses that hopefully neither you nor your family members have ever had.

Table 19-3 Serious Illnesses