我病了
Chapter Overview and Learning Objectives
Last chapter, you described what you and other people are doing right now. This chapter turns to a related but different idea: describing a change — from well to sick, from not tired to tired, from not having something to having it. You will learn 了 in its second major function, marking a change of state, and you will practice two ways to give advice or instructions: 应该/要 for what someone should do, and 别/不要 for what someone should not do. Together, these systems let you describe how you feel, explain what changed, and give or receive simple health-related advice.
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Use change-of-state 了 to say that a new situation has begun.
- Describe common symptoms and health problems using controlled vocabulary.
- Use 应该 and 要 to say what someone should do.
- Use 别 and 不要 to say what someone should not do.
- Write and respond to a short message about feeling sick.
- Combine health language with the ongoing-action, description, accompaniment, and reason-result systems from Chapter 13 and earlier chapters.
Communication Scenario
安娜 wakes up not feeling well the morning after her tea date with 大卫. She sends him a message explaining what happened, and he writes back with some simple advice.
- You will listen to and read short exchanges about getting sick and giving health advice.
- You will learn to describe a change in your condition and to tell someone what they should or should not do.
- Everything in this chapter builds directly on the ongoing-action, expanded 的, accompaniment, and reason-result language from Chapter 13.
Where This Chapter Fits
Chapter 14 completes the instructional chapters of Unit III before the Unit III assessment in Chapter 15. This chapter adds a new communicative domain — health and changes of state — while continuing to recycle ability, location, ongoing action, description, and accompaniment language from earlier chapters.
Coming Into This Chapter
Ongoing action with 在/正在, expanded 的 description, 跟/和 accompaniment, and the formulaic 因为...所以... pattern (Ch. 13); ability and permission with 会/能/可以 (Ch. 11).
New in This Chapter
Change-of-state 了; 应该/要 for advice and expectation; 别/不要 for prohibition; health and symptom vocabulary; short health-related messages.
Looking Forward
Chapter 15 is the Unit III cumulative assessment. It introduces no new grammar and instead checks your control of everything from Chapters 11 through 14.
Core Vocabulary
These words are productive: you should be able to recognize, type, and use them in the tasks below. Neutral-tone syllables are marked with no tone mark, following standard Pinyin convention.
| Chinese | Pinyin | Part / Function | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 病 | bìng | noun / verb | illness; to be sick | 我病了。 Wǒ bìng le. I've gotten sick. |
| 舒服 | shūfu | adjective | comfortable, well (physically) | 我不舒服。 Wǒ bù shūfu. I don't feel well. |
| 疼 | téng | verb / adjective | to hurt, painful | 我的头很疼。 Wǒ de tóu hěn téng. My head really hurts. |
| 头 | tóu | noun | head | 我头疼。 Wǒ tóu téng. I have a headache. |
| 肚子 | dùzi | noun | stomach, belly | 我肚子疼。 Wǒ dùzi téng. My stomach hurts. |
| 发烧 | fāshāo | verb | to have a fever | 我发烧了。 Wǒ fāshāo le. I've developed a fever. |
| 咳嗽 | késou | verb / noun | to cough; a cough | 我咳嗽得很厉害。 Wǒ késou de hěn lìhai. My cough is really bad. |
| 感冒 | gǎnmào | verb / noun | to catch a cold; a cold | 我感冒了。 Wǒ gǎnmào le. I've caught a cold. |
| 医院 | yīyuàn | noun | hospital | 你应该去医院。 Nǐ yīnggāi qù yīyuàn. You should go to the hospital. |
| 医生 | yīshēng | noun | doctor | 医生说我应该休息。 Yīshēng shuō wǒ yīnggāi xiūxi. The doctor said I should rest. |
| 药 | yào | noun | medicine | 你要吃药。 Nǐ yào chī yào. You need to take medicine. |
| 休息 | xiūxi | verb | to rest | 你应该在家休息。 Nǐ yīnggāi zài jiā xiūxi. You should rest at home. |
| 应该 | yīnggāi | modal verb | should | 你应该多喝水。 Nǐ yīnggāi duō hē shuǐ. You should drink more water. |
| 要 | yào | modal verb | need to, should, must | 你要去看医生。 Nǐ yào qù kàn yīshēng. You need to go see a doctor. |
| 别 | bié | adverb | don't | 别去上课了。 Bié qù shàngkè le. Don't go to class. |
| 不要 | búyào | adverb | don't, must not | 你不要吃冷的东西。 Nǐ búyào chī lěng de dōngxi. Don't eat cold things. |
| 请假 | qǐngjià | verb-object | to ask for time off, take leave | 我今天要请假。 Wǒ jīntiān yào qǐngjià. I need to take the day off today. |
| 多 | duō | adverb | more, a lot | 多喝水，多休息。 Duō hē shuǐ, duō xiūxi. Drink more water, rest more. |
| 水 | shuǐ | noun | water | 你要多喝水。 Nǐ yào duō hē shuǐ. You need to drink more water. |
Recycled from earlier chapters: 在 location (Ch. 8), 正在 ongoing action (Ch. 13), 的 description (Ch. 13), 因为...所以 (Ch. 13), 会/能/可以 (Ch. 11).
Pronunciation and Listening Focus
This chapter continues tone-pair practice and adds a few sounds that are easy for English-speaking learners to flatten.
- 疼 (téng) vs 头 (tóu): both begin with similar-sounding consonants but have different finals. Practice keeping the -eng and -ou finals clearly distinct.
- 应该 (yīnggāi): first tone followed by first tone. Keep both syllables level and steady rather than letting the second syllable drift downward.
- 咳嗽 (késou): the second syllable is neutral tone. Keep it short and light, the way you practiced with 朋友 and 东西 in earlier chapters.
- 别 (bié) vs 病 (bìng): these two words are easy to confuse for beginners because both involve the sound "b" plus a high front element. Practice the full rising glide of bié against the falling tone and nasal ending of bìng.
Practice the model dialogue below aloud at least three times, paying special attention to keeping change-of-state 了 light and unstressed at the end of the sentence.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
Change-of-state 了: a new situation has begun
At the end of a sentence, 了 can signal that a situation has changed — something that was not true before is true now. This is a different function from the completed-action 了 you will study directly after a verb in a later chapter. Here, 了 appears at the very end of the sentence and marks the whole situation as new.
Pattern: Subject + (Description/Verb Phrase) + 了
我病了。 Wǒ bìng le. I've gotten sick. (I was fine; now I'm sick.)
我感冒了。 Wǒ gǎnmào le. I've caught a cold.
我发烧了。 Wǒ fāshāo le. I've developed a fever.
Compare this with a plain statement of fact without 了: 我很忙 simply describes a current state ("I am busy"), while 我很忙了 would suggest a change — "I've become busy" (when I wasn't before). In this chapter, focus on using 了 with health words to describe a new symptom or condition, not on every possible use of change-of-state 了.
应该 and 要: saying what someone should do
应该 expresses what someone should do — a recommendation or expectation. 要 can express a similar idea, often with a slightly stronger sense of need. Both come directly before the main verb, in the same position as the modal verbs you learned in Chapter 11.
Pattern: Subject + 应该/要 + Verb Phrase
你应该多休息。 Nǐ yīnggāi duō xiūxi. You should rest more.
你要去看医生。 Nǐ yào qù kàn yīshēng. You need to go see a doctor.
医生说我应该多喝水。 Yīshēng shuō wǒ yīnggāi duō hē shuǐ. The doctor said I should drink more water.
In this chapter, use 应该 and 要 mainly for health-related advice. Their fuller range of meanings, including 要 as future intention, is developed further in later chapters.
别 and 不要: saying what someone should not do
别 and 不要 both tell someone not to do something. 别 is common in everyday spoken advice; 不要 works the same way and is slightly more explicit or emphatic in many contexts.
Pattern: 别/不要 + Verb Phrase
别去上课了。 Bié qù shàngkè le. Don't go to class.
你不要吃冷的东西。 Nǐ búyào chī lěng de dōngxi. Don't eat cold things.
别担心，你休息一下就好了。 Bié dānxīn, nǐ xiūxi yíxià jiù hǎo le. Don't worry, you'll be fine after you rest a bit.
Use 别 and 不要 as simple advice-giving expressions for now. Do not combine them yet with the more advanced connectors from later chapters, such as 虽然...但是....
Model Dialogue
我病了 — I've Gotten Sick:
大卫：安娜，你今天怎么样？
安娜：我不太舒服，我病了，头很疼，也有点儿发烧。
大卫：是感冒吗？你应该去看医生。
安娜：对，我今天要请假，也要去医院。
大卫：好，你去医院以后应该多休息，也要多喝水。
安娜：好，我知道了。谢谢你！
大卫：别担心，你休息一下就好了。今天别工作了！
安娜：好，我今天不工作了，我在家休息。
Gloss: David asks Anna how she's doing today. She says she doesn't feel well — she's gotten sick, has a bad headache, and has a bit of a fever. David asks if it's a cold and says she should go see a doctor. Anna agrees, saying she needs to take the day off and go to the hospital. David tells her that after the hospital she should rest a lot and drink a lot of water. Anna thanks him. David tells her not to worry — she'll be fine after resting, and tells her not to work today. Anna agrees that she won't work today and will rest at home.
Listening Practice
Ask a partner, instructor, or fluent speaker to read the passage below aloud twice at a natural pace before answering.
If no speaker is available, this is a Listening Script for Independent Use. Read it aloud yourself, slowly at first, then at a natural pace. Any spoken model should be verified by a fluent Mandarin speaker before being treated as a pronunciation standard.
小林病了 — Xiao Lin Is Sick:
小林昨天晚上开始咳嗽，今天早上也发烧了，肚子也有点儿疼。她给老师发了一个短信，说她今天不能去上课，要在家休息。她的朋友说她应该多喝水，别吃冷的东西，也别喝咖啡。小林说：「好，我知道了，我今天在家休息，明天应该就好了。」
听力任务 — Listening task:
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| 小林怎么了？ (What's wrong with Xiao Lin?) | ______ |
| 她今天要做什么？ (What does she need to do today?) | ______ |
| 她的朋友说她应该做什么，不应该做什么？ (What does her friend say she should and should not do?) | ______ |
Reading Practice
Read the short message below and answer the comprehension questions.
理解问题 — Comprehension questions:
- 安娜今天为什么没有来上课？ (Why didn't Anna come to class today?)
- 朋友说她应该做什么？不应该做什么？ (What does the friend say she should and shouldn't do?)
- 如果安娜还是不舒服，她应该做什么？ (If Anna is still not feeling well, what should she do?)
Writing Workshop
Write a short message of five to seven sentences responding to a friend who tells you they are sick, using only vocabulary and grammar from Chapters 1-14.
写作任务 — Writing task: Type your sentences with Pinyin input if possible, or copy/handwrite the characters you have already been assigned for handwriting. Your message must include:
- A change-of-state statement. Use 了 to describe a new condition, such as 我病了 or 我感冒了.
- At least one piece of advice with 应该 or 要. Tell the person what they should do.
- At least one instruction with 别 or 不要. Tell the person what they should not do.
- An expanded 的 phrase or an accompaniment statement, recycled from Chapter 13.
- At least one word from the health vocabulary, such as 医生, 休息, 发烧, or 舒服.
修改清单 — Editing checklist:
- Change-of-state 了 appears at the end of the sentence, not directly after the verb.
- 应该/要 and 别/不要 come directly before the verb phrase.
- The message reads as natural, caring advice rather than a list of disconnected commands.
- A Chinese period (。) or question mark (？) ends each sentence.
Speaking Practice
控制性练习 — Controlled practice: guided interview
With a partner, take turns asking and answering: 你今天舒服吗？你头疼吗？你应该做什么？你不应该做什么？
交际任务 — Communicative task: giving advice to a sick friend
With a partner, role-play a conversation where one person is sick and the other gives advice. Include a change-of-state statement, at least one piece of advice with 应该 or 要, and at least one instruction with 别 or 不要.
独立练习 — Solo alternative
Record yourself describing a time you or someone you know felt sick, and give two pieces of health advice using 应该 and 别.
Culture and Communication
In many Mandarin-speaking contexts, friends, classmates, and coworkers commonly offer direct, practical health advice — such as telling someone to rest, drink more water, or avoid cold food and drinks — as an ordinary expression of care rather than as overstepping. Direct advice-giving of this kind is common but not universal, and comfort with receiving unsolicited advice varies by relationship, generation, and individual preference. As with earlier culture notes, treat these patterns as common tendencies rather than fixed rules.
Common Mistakes
- Placing change-of-state 了 in the wrong position: avoid *我了病. Change-of-state 了 goes at the end of the sentence: 我病了。
- Treating 应该 and 要 as always interchangeable: 应该 usually expresses a recommendation, while 要 often carries a stronger sense of necessity. Both are acceptable for simple health advice in this chapter, but do not assume they always mean exactly the same thing.
- Putting 别/不要 after the verb: avoid *你吃别冷的东西. The negative instruction comes first: 你别吃冷的东西。
- Confusing 疼 (hurt) with 病 (sick): 疼 describes pain in a specific part of the body (头疼, 肚子疼), while 病 describes being generally ill. Do not use them interchangeably.
Chapter Review
部分 A — 理解 (Comprehension)
1. Based on the listening passage, answer in English:
- What symptoms does Xiao Lin have?
- What advice does her friend give her?
部分 B — 语法 (Grammar)
1. Fill in the blank with 了, 应该/要, or 别/不要:
- 我感冒___。 (I've caught a cold.)
- 你___多喝水。 (You should drink more water.)
- 你___吃冷的东西。 (Don't eat cold things.)
2. Correct the error: *你吃别冷的东西。
部分 C — 阅读 (Reading)
1. Return to the message above and answer:
- 朋友明天要跟安娜一起做什么？ (What does the friend plan to do with Anna tomorrow?)
部分 D — 写作 (Writing)
1. Write your five-to-seven-sentence message, following the Writing Workshop steps above.
部分 E — 口语 (Speaking)
1. Complete the guided interview and the advice-giving role-play with a partner or recording.
Unit III Recognition Check
Say each of the following aloud and confirm accurate tones: 我病了, 你应该多休息, 别吃冷的东西, 我要去看医生. If any of these feel uncertain, review this chapter before the Unit III assessment in Chapter 15.
Practical Performance Task
Chapter 14 Performance Task
我不舒服 — I Don't Feel Well
Complete the following four connected tasks in order, combining health language with earlier chapter systems.
- Listen to the passage about Xiao Lin and complete the listening table above.
- Read the message to Anna and answer the comprehension questions.
- Write your own short message, following the Writing Workshop steps and editing checklist.
- Speak through the guided interview and role-play with a partner, recording, or instructor.
| Criterion | What is assessed |
|---|---|
| Change of state | Sentence-final 了 is used correctly to describe a new condition. |
| Advice | 应该/要 is used correctly before the verb phrase. |
| Prohibition | 别/不要 is used correctly before the verb phrase. |
| Vocabulary | Health and symptom vocabulary is used accurately and appropriately. |
| Cumulative control | Ongoing-action, description, and accompaniment language from Chapter 13 is integrated naturally. |
| Pronunciation | Tone pairs and neutral-tone syllables are produced with reasonable, intelligible accuracy. |
Answer Key
Listening
- Xiao Lin has a cough, a fever, and a slight stomachache.
- She needs to stay home and rest today instead of going to class.
- Her friend says she should drink more water, and should not eat cold things or drink coffee.
Reading — Comprehension
- Anna didn't come to class because she is sick.
- She should rest more and drink more water; she should not tire herself out too much and should not wait at home alone if she's still unwell.
- She should go to the hospital to see a doctor.
Chapter Review — 部分 B
- (a) 了 (b) 应该/要 (c) 别/不要
- 你别吃冷的东西。
Reading — 部分 C
The friend plans to go to the hospital together with Anna tomorrow.
Unit III Recognition Check — Correct answers
我病了 (wǒ bìng le); 你应该多休息 (nǐ yīnggāi duō xiūxi); 别吃冷的东西 (bié chī lěng de dōngxi); 我要去看医生 (wǒ yào qù kàn yīshēng).
Looking Ahead
现在你会做什么 — What you can do now
You can now describe a change in your condition, give simple advice about what someone should and should not do, and combine health language with ongoing action, description, accompaniment, and reason-result language from previous chapters.