Blood pressure and check-ups, sleeplessness and exhaustion, sprains, first aid and recovery.
These are the words of a medical check-up report, a first-aid course and a conversation about why you feel tired all the time. Many are built from parts you already know: 血, blood, gives 血压 and 血糖; 伤, an injury, gives 扭伤 and 拉伤; 率, a rate, gives 心率. Some are the formal side of an everyday word: a doctor writes 腹泻 and 眩晕 where a patient says 拉肚子 and 头晕.
The words
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Verb (8)
失眠to be unable to sleep; insomniaVerb4
最近压力大，我经常失眠。I have been under a lot of pressure lately and often can’t sleep.
昏迷to be unconscious; a comaVerb5
车祸后他昏迷了三天。After the accident he was unconscious for three days.
脱水to become dehydratedVerb5
天太热，又不喝水，很容易脱水。In such heat, if you don’t drink water you can easily become dehydrated.
包扎to bandage, dress (a wound)Verb5
护士帮他把手上的伤包扎好了。The nurse dressed the wound on his hand.
扎 is first tone here, “to tie”.
止血to stop the bleedingVerb5
先用干净的布按住伤口止血。First press a clean cloth on the wound to stop the bleeding.
扭伤to sprain; a sprainVerb5
打篮球时他扭伤了脚。He sprained his ankle playing basketball.
拉伤to pull, strain (a muscle)Verb5
跑得太猛，他把腿上的肌肉拉伤了。He ran too hard and pulled a muscle in his leg.
拉伸to stretch; stretchingVerb5
跑步以后别忘了拉伸。Don’t forget to stretch after running.
Noun (27)
免疫力immunity, immune systemNoun5
经常锻炼可以提高免疫力。Regular exercise can strengthen your immune system.
抵抗力resistance (to illness)Noun5
孩子抵抗力差，天气一变就感冒。The child has poor resistance and catches a cold whenever the weather changes.
The everyday word; 免疫力 is the medical one.
血压blood pressureNoun4
护士先给我量了血压。The nurse took my blood pressure first.
血 in compounds; alone in speech it is often xiě.
高血压high blood pressureNoun5
我爸爸有高血压，每天都要吃药。My dad has high blood pressure and has to take medicine every day.
血糖blood sugarNoun5
医生让他少吃甜的，控制血糖。The doctor told him to eat fewer sweet things and keep his blood sugar under control.
低血糖low blood sugarNoun5
她早上没吃饭，上课时低血糖了。She had skipped breakfast and her blood sugar dropped during class.
胆固醇cholesterolNoun5
体检报告显示他的胆固醇有点儿高。His check-up report shows that his cholesterol is a little high.
心率heart rateNoun5
这块手表可以随时测心率。This watch can measure your heart rate at any time.
率, a rate, as in 效率.
脉搏pulseNoun5
医生摸了摸他的脉搏，说跳得有点儿快。The doctor felt his pulse and said it was a little fast.
血型blood groupNoun5
你知道自己是什么血型吗？Do you know what your blood group is?
劳损strain (from overuse)Noun5
长期搬重东西，他的肩膀有些劳损。After years of carrying heavy loads, his shoulders are somewhat strained.
Damage from wear over time, unlike a sudden 拉伤.
新陈代谢metabolismNoun5
年纪大了，新陈代谢会变慢。Metabolism slows down as you get older.
Literally “the new replaces the old”; also used of society and ideas.
心理健康mental healthNoun5
学校越来越重视学生的心理健康。Schools are paying more and more attention to pupils’ mental health.
亚健康poor health short of illness; run-downNoun5
长期熬夜的人很容易处于亚健康状态。People who regularly stay up late easily end up in a run-down state.
A common idea in China with no exact English word: not ill, but not well either.
眩晕dizziness; to feel dizzyNoun5
站起来太快，她突然感到一阵眩晕。She stood up too fast and suddenly felt a wave of dizziness.
Formal; in speech 头晕.
体检medical check-upNoun4
公司每年安排员工做一次体检。The company arranges a medical check-up for its staff once a year.
Short for 身体检查.
急救first aid; emergency treatmentNoun5
每个人都应该学一点儿急救知识。Everyone ought to learn some first aid.
心肺复苏CPR, cardiopulmonary resuscitationNoun5
她给倒在地上的老人做了心肺复苏。She gave CPR to the old man who had collapsed on the ground.
运动损伤sports injuryNoun5
运动前先热身，可以减少运动损伤。Warming up before exercise can reduce sports injuries.
理疗physiotherapyNoun5
他的腰受过伤，每周去医院做两次理疗。He has injured his back before and goes to the hospital for physiotherapy twice a week.
颈椎cervical spine; the neckNoun5
整天低头看手机，颈椎很容易出问题。If you spend all day looking down at your phone, your neck will easily give you trouble.
骨质疏松osteoporosisNoun5
老年人容易骨质疏松，要注意补钙。Old people are prone to osteoporosis and should make sure they get enough calcium.
便秘constipationNoun5
多吃蔬菜和水果能预防便秘。Eating more vegetables and fruit helps prevent constipation.
便 here, as in 方便, not the pián of 便宜.
腹泻diarrhoeaNoun5
吃了不干净的东西可能会引起腹泻。Eating food that isn’t clean can cause diarrhoea.
Formal; in speech 拉肚子.
炎症inflammationNoun5
医生说嗓子有炎症，给我开了点儿药。The doctor said my throat was inflamed and prescribed me something.
体脂率body fat percentageNoun5
他不太关心体重，更关心体脂率。He doesn’t care much about his weight; he cares more about his body fat percentage.
保健品health supplementNoun5
很多保健品的广告说得太夸张了。A lot of advertising for health supplements is far too exaggerated.
Adjective (4)
疲惫exhausted, worn outAdjective5
加了一个星期的班，大家都很疲惫。After a week of overtime, everyone is worn out.
虚弱weak, frailAdjective5
病刚好，身体还很虚弱。He has only just recovered and is still very weak.
营养不良malnourished; malnutritionAdjective5
这只小猫又瘦又小，明显营养不良。This kitten is thin and small, clearly malnourished.
酸痛aching, soreAdjective5
第一次去健身房，第二天全身酸痛。After my first time at the gym, I ached all over the next day.
Idiom (1)
暴饮暴食to overeat; to bingeIdiom5
节日期间要注意饮食，不要暴饮暴食。Over the holidays, watch what you eat and don’t overindulge.
This list belongs to Body and health — seven lists and 281 words that can also be practised as a whole.
Practise this list
Multiple choice and gaps, drawn from exactly these 40 words. Whatever you get wrong comes back tomorrow.
