Chinese word

拉肚子

Pronunciation

Pinyinlā dù zi

Meaning

  • verbhave diarrhea

Example

出差时突然拉肚子，很尴尬。chū chāi shí tū rán lā dù zi hěn gān gà

Suddenly having diarrhea on a business trip was very embarrassing.

Illustration for 拉肚子 (have diarrhea)

More examples

吃海鲜后，他就拉肚子了。chī hǎi xiān hòu tā jiù lā dù zi le

After eating seafood, he had diarrhea.

Core concept

A digestive upset that makes the body release loose stool repeatedly.

Common phrases

  • 拉肚子了lā dù zi le

    had diarrhea

  • 突然拉肚子tū rán lā dù zi

    suddenly have diarrhea

  • 一直拉肚子yì zhí lā dù zi

    keep having diarrhea

Similar words

腹泻fù xiè: Have watery stools and more frequent bowel movements due to digestive trouble.
拉稀lā xī: Pass very loose, almost watery stools in casual speech.
跑肚pǎo dù: Make repeated trips to the toilet because of loose stools, in casual speech.

Definition in Chinese

指短时间内排出稀便或排便次数明显增多的状态，多由肠胃不适引起，是常用的口语动词短语。zhǐ duǎn shí jiān nèi pái chū xī biàn huò pái biàn cì shù míng xiǎn zēng duō de zhuàng tài duō yóu cháng wèi bú shì yín qǐ shì cháng yòng de kóu yǔ dòng cí duán yǔ

Word origin

拉肚子 (lādùzi, "have diarrhea") combines 拉 (lā, "let out") with 肚子 (dùzi, "belly"), picturing the belly releasing its contents in a colloquial expression for this bowel problem.

Usage tips

  • The expression describes a symptom rather than its cause, so everyday reports often add duration or other symptoms to make the situation clear.

Other meanings

  • diarrheanoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word