Chinese word

卧床

Pronunciation

Pinyinwò chuáng

Meaning

  • verbstay in bed

Example

他感冒严重，已经卧床好几天了。tā gǎn mào yán zhòng yǐ jīng wò chuáng hǎo jǐ tiān le

He has a bad cold and has been in bed for several days.

Illustration for 卧床 (stay in bed)

More examples

手术后她需要在家卧床养病一段时间。shǒu shù hòu tā xū yào zài jiā wò chuáng yǎng bìng yí duàn shí jiān

After surgery, she needs to stay in bed at home to recover for a while.

Core concept

The bed becomes a place of necessary rest when illness or weakness prevents normal movement.

Common phrases

  • 卧床养病wò chuáng yǎng bìng

    stay in bed to recover

  • 短期卧床duǎn qī wò chuáng

    stay in bed for a short time

Similar words

躺下tǎng xià: Lie down or move into a lying position.
睡觉shuì jiào: Be asleep or spend time sleeping.
住院zhù yuàn: Enter and stay in a hospital for treatment.

Definition in Chinese

因病或虚弱在床上休养或不能起床，常指需要他人照顾或暂时卧床不起。yīn bìng huò xū ruò zài chuáng shàng xiū yǎng huò bù néng qǐ chuáng cháng zhǐ xū yào tā rén zhào gù huò zàn shí wò chuáng bù qǐ

Word origin

卧床 (wòchuáng, "to stay in bed") joins 卧 (wò, "lie down") + 床 (chuáng, "bed"), giving a direct image of a person confined to bed by poor health or weakness.

Usage tips

  • English speakers often use "stay in bed" for many reasons, but this Chinese word is especially useful when the situation involves illness, weakness, or recovery.

Opposites

Word lists with this word