Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar

talking about illness and other medical conditions

30.9

Notice that when describing temperature, you can use the verb 是 shì. 是 shì is required with

negation, but is otherwise usually absent. With the adverb 差不多 chàbùduō ‘almost,’ the verb

may be 有 yǒu.

今天的温度是二十度。

今天的溫度是二十度。

Jīntiān de wēndù shì èrshí dù.

Today’s temperature is 20 degrees.

Q: 今天的温度怎么样？

今天的溫度怎麼樣？

Jīntiān de wēndù zěnmeyàng?

What is today’s temperature?

A: 天气预报说今天的温度差不多有三十度。

天氣預報說今天的溫度差不多有三十度。

Tiānqì yùbào shuō jīntiān de wēndù chàbùduō yǒu sānshí dù.

The weather report says today’s temperature will be around 30 degrees.

Q: 你说的是华氏还是摄氏？

你說的是華氏還是攝氏？

Nǐ shuō de shì huáshì háishi shèshì?

Do you mean Fahrenheit or centigrade?

A: 在中国我们用的是摄氏。

在中國我們用的是攝氏。

Zài Zhōngguó wǒmen yòng de shì shèshì.

We use centigrade in China.

Q: 摄氏三十度是华氏多少度？

攝氏三十度是華氏多少度？

Shèshì sān shí dù shì huáshì duōshao dù?

Thirty degrees centigrade is how many degrees Fahrenheit?

A: 差不多是华氏九十度。

差不多是華氏九十度。

Chàbuduō shì huáshì jiǔshí dù.

It’s about 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

今天很冷，零下五度。

Jīntiān hěn lěng, língxià wǔ dù.

It’s really cold today, five degrees below zero.

30.9 Talking about illness and other medical conditions

30.9.1 expressing general illness or allergy

Here are the most common ways to express having an illness or an allergy.

General illness Cold Allergy

(我)病了。 (我)感冒了。 (我)对(青霉素)过敏。

(我)對(青黴素)過敏。

(Wǒ) bìng le. (Wǒ) gǎn mào le. (Wǒ) duì (qīng méi sù) guòmǐn.

(I) have become ill. (I) have a cold. (I) am allergic to (penicillin).

or

(我)有病。

(Wǒ) yǒu bìng.

(I) have an illness.