Looking up...
医生
/yī shēng/
doctor
我是一名医生。
I am a doctor.
Medicine
formal
A qualified practitioner who practices medicine to promote, maintain, or restore health.
医生正在给病人做检查。
The doctor is examining the patient.
我需要去看医生。
I need to see a doctor.
In Chinese, 医生 is a general term for medical doctors, including specialists like 牙医 (dentist) or 外科医生 (surgeon).
Pro Tip
Polite Address
In Chinese, you can address a doctor as 医生先生 (yīshēng xiānsheng) for a male doctor or 医生女士 (yīshēng nǚshì) for a female doctor to show respect.
Gold Rule
Usage Context
Use 医生 when referring to a medical professional in general. For specialists, use terms like 牙医 (dentist) or 外科医生 (surgeon).
Word Origin
医 (yī) means 'medicine' or 'healing,' and 生 (shēng) means 'life' or 'person.' Combined, they refer to someone who practices medicine to sustain life.
Usage Notes
医生 is used for both male and female doctors in modern Chinese. Historically, 大夫 (dàifu) was also a common term, especially in northern China.
Word Breakdown
医
medicine; healing
root生
life; person
root汉英词典