Doctor and pharmacy in Chinese: phrases with pinyin
You have a cold and walk into a pharmacy (药店) near your apartment in Shanghai. Cold medicine needs no prescription in China, so you just ask the pharmacist. You pay by scanning a QR code.
How the conversation starts
李药师 (Pharmacist Li) · pharmacist at a neighborhood pharmacy
Buy cold medicine at a pharmacy
What you do
- Say what is wrong
- Ask how to take the medicine
- Pay for the medicine
What to say
- 我感冒了。Wǒ gǎnmào le.I have a cold.
- 我头疼。Wǒ tóuténg.I have a headache.
- 有感冒药吗？Yǒu gǎnmào yào ma?Do you have cold medicine?
- 这个药怎么吃？Zhège yào zěnme chī?How do I take this medicine?
- 我扫码付。Wǒ sǎo mǎ fù.I'll pay by scanning the code.
See a doctor for a cold
You have a cold and go to a community hospital (社区医院) in Beijing. You've registered at the front desk and now you're seeing the doctor. Afterwards you pay at the counter and pick up your medicine at the pharmacy window.
What you do
- Tell the doctor your symptoms
- Say how long you've been sick
- Ask how to take the medicine
What to say
- 我头疼，还咳嗽。Wǒ tóuténg, hái késou.I have a headache and a cough.
4 more sentences in this lesson, in the app.
Clinic: a drip suggested and an exam tomorrow
You've had a sore throat and fever for three days and go to a community hospital (社区医院) in Beijing. Doctors in China often suggest an IV drip (输液) for a cold; you'd rather take medicine. You have an exam tomorrow, so you don't want anything that makes you sleepy.
What you do
- Describe your symptoms and how long you've had them
- He suggests an IV drip: say you'd rather take medicine
- Ask whether the medicine makes you sleepy, as you have an exam tomorrow
What to say
- 医生，我嗓子疼，发烧三天了。Yīshēng, wǒ sǎngzi téng, fāshāo sān tiān le.Doctor, I've had a sore throat and a fever for three days.
4 more sentences in this lesson, in the app.
Now say it out loud
In Kaiko, 李药师 (Pharmacist Li) answers you out loud in Chinese, and a coach corrects you as you go.