About
The character "症", which now broadly signifies a disease or symptom, originates from a more specific medical concept encapsulated in its traditional form "癥". This earlier form combined the "sickness" radical (疒) with the component "徵", which contributed both phonetic value and semantic nuance related to signs or evidence, together denoting an abdominal mass or lump, a concrete pathological entity. Over time, the character underwent a process of structural and semantic generalization; the complex traditional form was replaced by the simpler "症", employing "正" as a phonetic component, while its meaning expanded from denoting a specific physical obstruction to encompass the general manifestations or patterns of any disease. This shift reflects a movement in medical terminology from concrete physical descriptions toward more abstract categorizations of illness.
Example Sentences Hide
他有感冒的症状。
这种病症需要治疗。
癌症是一种严重的疾病。
抑郁症影响很多人。
医生正在研究这种症候群。
早期发现症状有助于治疗。
这种罕见病症的病因尚未明确。
针对这种并发症，需要综合治疗方案。