Definitions

huàn (verb) to suffer; to be afflicted
huàn (noun) worry; anxiety; concern
huàn (noun) misfortune; trouble

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "患" is built from the components "串" positioned above "心" (heart), with the upper element historically conveying a sense of penetration or serial occurrence, thus conceptually illustrating a heart besieged by recurring trouble. Its earliest recorded meanings focused on inner anxiety and worry, a psychological state of distress. From this foundation, the term gradually extended to denote external calamities, misfortunes, or disasters that provoke such inner turmoil. Later semantic development included the specific sense of falling ill or contracting a disease, as in the modern usage "患病", thereby linking physical suffering to its original emotional core. While its graphical form has seen little alteration, the interplay between its components continues to mirror the evolution from subjective concern to objective affliction.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

了重感冒。

Tā huànle zhòng gǎnmào.

He caught a severe cold.

爷爷病住院了。

Yéye huànbìng zhùyuàn le.

Grandpa fell ill and was hospitalized.

者需要好好休息。

Huànzhě xūyào hǎohǎo xiūxi.

The patient needs to rest well.

有高血压。

Tā huànyǒu gāoxuèyā.

He suffers from hypertension.

癌多年了。

Tā huàn'ái duōnián le.

She has had cancer for many years.

医生检查了他的处。

Yīshēng jiǎnchále tā de huànchù.

The doctor examined his affected area.

他们在难中互相帮助。

Tāmen zài huànnàn zhōng hùxiāng bāngzhù.

They help each other in times of adversity.

长期病使他变得虚弱。

Chángqī huànbìng shǐ tā biàn de xūruò.

Long-term illness has made him weak.