verb / noun HSK 4
Traditional 治療
zhì liáo
to treat (medically) · to cure · treatment · therapy

Meaning

治疗 means to provide medical treatment or therapy for an illness or condition. It can be used as both a verb ('to treat') and a noun ('treatment'). The word emphasizes the medical process of addressing health problems through various methods including medication, surgery, or therapy.

Usage

Commonly used in medical contexts by both doctors and patients. It's a formal, standard term found in hospitals, clinics, and medical literature. Often appears with 疾病 (illness), 病人 (patient), or specific medical conditions. Native speakers use it for serious medical treatment, while 看病 is more casual for 'seeing a doctor.'

Examples

  1. 01
    医生说这种病需要长期治疗
    Yīshēng shuō zhè zhǒng bìng xūyào chángqī zhìliáo.
    The doctor says this illness requires long-term treatment.
  2. 02
    他正在医院接受癌症治疗
    zhèngzài yīyuàn jiēshòu áizhèng zhìliáo.
    He is receiving cancer treatment at the hospital.

Characters

Measure words

  • 一次治疗
  • zhǒng一种治疗方法

Common collocations

  • 接受治疗
    jiē shòu zhì liáo
    to receive treatment
  • 治疗方案
    zhì liáo fāng àn
    treatment plan
  • 治疗效果
    zhì liáo xiào guǒ
    treatment effect, therapeutic effect
  • 进行治疗
    jìn xíng zhì liáo
    to carry out treatment

Origin

Both characters relate to healing and governance. 治 originally meant 'to govern' or 'to manage,' extended to managing illness. 疗 contains the illness radical 疒, directly indicating medical treatment.

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