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瘳 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
瘳chōuhealed; reformednr, 16 strokes, radical 疒, rank #61208, Very Hard
瘳chōuto convalesceunknown, 16 strokes, radical 疒, rank #61208, Very Hard
瘳chōuto recoverunknown, 16 strokes, radical 疒, rank #61208, Very Hard
瘳chōuto healunknown, 16 strokes, radical 疒, rank #61208, Very Hard
chōu(chou1) T1
  1. 1healed; reformed
  2. 2to convalesce
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March 24, 2026

瘳chōu(chou1)

The character 瘳 (chōu) denotes the process of healing or recovery from an illness. It is often used in medical contexts to describe someone who is convalescing or has been reformed from a poor state of health. This term can also imply a sense of improvement or restoration, making it relevant in both literal and metaphorical uses.

Strokes16Radical疒Frequency#61208DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural Note

The concept of healing and recovery is significant in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), where the balance of body and spirit is emphasized. The character 瘳 reflects cultural values surrounding health and the belief in natural recovery processes.

Memory Tip

Imagine a patient lying in bed, slowly rising and transforming into a healthy figure. The left side of 瘳 contains the radical 疒, which represents illness, while the right side shows the character for 'to draw out' (抽), suggesting the process of drawing out the sickness and achieving health. This imagery connects the character's form with its meaning.

Meanings of 瘳

chōu(chou1)
1healed; reformed
2to convalesce
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 瘳

瘳Simplified
16Strokes
疒Radical
人名míngcíproper noun (pr.n.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 瘳

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Podcast: 瘳

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AI Study Notes for 瘳

Quick Contrast

痊 (quán) - use 瘳 (chōu) when emphasizing the process of recovery, while 痊 (quán) indicates a complete healing.

Usage Notes

Learners should be careful not to confuse 瘳 with similar-sounding characters that pertain to other aspects of health or illness. It is typically used in more formal contexts, such as medical discussions or literature. Common collocations include 瘳愈 (chōu yù) meaning 'to recover' and 逐渐瘳 (zhújiàn chōu) meaning 'gradually healing.'

HSK Study Tips

Although 瘳 is not part of HSK vocabulary, it connects with health-related terms found in HSK levels 4-6. Students should focus on both the meaning and usage of health-related characters to build a broader vocabulary in this area.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 瘳 with 痊 (quán), which also relates to healing but is used differently. For example, saying '我希望我能瘳得快' (wǒ xīwàng wǒ néng chōu dé kuài) is incorrect; it should be '我希望我能痊愈得快' (wǒ xīwàng wǒ néng quán yù dé kuài).

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 瘳

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Etymology of 瘳

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Memory Hint

sickness

Semantic (meaning)疒
+
Phonetic (sound)翏
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 瘳

  1. 1The meaning half疒 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half翏 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawaysickness
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 瘳? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 瘳?

Decomposition of 瘳

IDS Structure⿸疒翏
瘳Full Character
=
疒ne4
enclosing
翏liu4
inner
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 瘳?

How to say healed; reformed in Chinese

“healed; reformed” in Chinese is瘳chōu

The character 瘳 (chōu) denotes the process of healing or recovery from an illness. It is often used in medical contexts to describe someone who is convalescing or has been reformed from a poor state of health. This term can also imply a sense of improvement or restoration, making it relevant in both literal and metaphorical uses.

When to use 瘳

Learners should be careful not to confuse 瘳 with similar-sounding characters that pertain to other aspects of health or illness. It is typically used in more formal contexts, such as medical discussions or literature. Common collocations include 瘳愈 (chōu yù) meaning 'to recover' and 逐渐瘳 (zhújiàn chōu) meaning 'gradually healing.'

瘳 or something close to it

痊 (quán) - use 瘳 (chōu) when emphasizing the process of recovery, while 痊 (quán) indicates a complete healing.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 瘳 with 痊 (quán), which also relates to healing but is used differently. For example, saying '我希望我能瘳得快' (wǒ xīwàng wǒ néng chōu dé kuài) is incorrect; it should be '我希望我能痊愈得快' (wǒ xīwàng wǒ néng quán yù dé kuài).

Write 瘳

瘳

Practice writing 瘳 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

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Word Family of 瘳

Words Containing This Character1
瘳chōuto heal
Exercise 1 of 1

Compound Meaning

What does 瘳 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 瘳

The pronunciation of 瘳 is chōu.

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