Definition

1. Noun:
   • Illness, disease: "bịnh" is a Southern Vietnamese dialectal term meaning a state of poor health or a specific medical condition, synonymous with the standard Vietnamese word "bệnh".
   • Sickness, ailment: It refers to a physical or mental condition that impairs normal functioning.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Ông ấy đang có bịnh nặng. (He has a serious illness.)
  • Bịnh cảm cúm rất dễ lây. (The flu is very contagious.)
  • Chúng tôi thăm người bạn đang bịnh. (We visited our friend who is sick.)

Advanced Usage

• "mắc bịnh" / "bị bịnh": to be ill, to contract a disease.
  • Nó mắc bịnh từ hồi nhỏ. (He has been ill since he was a child.)
• "chữa bịnh": to treat an illness.
  • Bác sĩ đang chữa bịnh cho bệnh nhân. (The doctor is treating the patient's illness.)
• "thầy thuốc chữa bịnh": a doctor who treats illnesses (a healer).
  • Người ta nói ông ấy là một thầy thuốc chữa bịnh giỏi. (They say he is a good healer.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bệnh (n): The standard Vietnamese word for illness, disease, sickness. "Bịnh" is its dialectal equivalent.
  • Bệnh viện (hospital)
  • Bệnh nhân (patient)
• Bịnh hoạn (n, adj, dialectal): State of being ill; sickly.
  • Căn nhà trông có vẻ bịnh hoạn. (The house looks sickly/dilapidated.)
• Bịnh tật (n, dialectal): Sicknesses, diseases (often used in the plural sense).
  • Ông ấy chịu đựng nhiều bịnh tật. (He endures many sicknesses.)

Synonyms

• Ốm (n, adj): Sick, ill. (More common in Northern Vietnamese).
• Bệnh (n): Disease, illness. (The standard term).

Related Phrases (Collocations)

• Lên cơn bịnh: to have an attack/fit (of an illness).
  • Bà ấy lên cơn bịnh hen suyễn. (She had an asthma attack.)
• Bịnh nan y: an incurable disease.
  • Đó là một thứ bịnh nan y. (That is an incurable disease.)
• Bịnh tâm thần: mental illness.
  • Anh ấy được chẩn đoán mắc bịnh tâm thần. (He was diagnosed with a mental illness.)

Notes on Usage

• Regional Use: The word "bịnh" is primarily used in Southern Vietnam and by speakers of Southern dialects. In formal writing and in Northern Vietnam, the standard word "bệnh" is used.
• Part of Speech: It functions almost exclusively as a noun. When used to describe a state ("being sick"), it typically appears in constructions with verbs like "có", "mắc", "bị" (to have, to contract).
• Formality: It is considered informal/colloquial due to its dialectal nature.

1. (tiếng địa phương) như bệnh