我头痛得厉害 I have a terrible headache — HSK 4, lesson 17

Dialogues

At the doctor’s

A

你哪儿不舒服？

Nǐ nǎr bù shūfu?

What seems to be the problem?

B

大夫，我头痛得厉害，还咳嗽，全身难受。

Dàifu, wǒ tóu tòng de lìhai, hái késou, quánshēn nánshòu.

Doctor, I have a terrible headache, a cough, and I ache all over.

A

先量一下体温吧。……你发烧了。

Xiān liáng yíxià tǐwēn ba. …… Nǐ fāshāo le.

Let’s take your temperature first. … You have a fever.

B

严重吗？要打针吗？

Yánzhòng ma? Yào dǎzhēn ma?

Is it serious? Do I need an injection?

A

不太严重，不用打针，吃点儿药就行。你吸烟吗？

Bú tài yánzhòng, búyòng dǎzhēn, chī diǎnr yào jiù xíng. Nǐ xī yān ma?

Not very — no injection, just some medicine. Do you smoke?

B

以前吸，现在不吸了。最近晚上咳得睡不着觉，困死了。

Yǐqián xī, xiànzài bù xī le. Zuìjìn wǎnshang ké de shuì bu zháo jiào, kùn sǐ le.

I used to, not any more. Lately I cough so much at night I can’t sleep — I’m dead tired.

A

多喝水，好好躺着休息，两天就好了。

Duō hē shuǐ, hǎohǎo tǎngzhe xiūxi, liǎng tiān jiù hǎo le.

Drink plenty of water and lie down and rest — you’ll be fine in a couple of days.

An injury

A

你的胳膊怎么了？有血！

Nǐ de gēbo zěnme le? Yǒu xiě!

What’s happened to your arm? There’s blood!

B

打球的时候受伤了，皮肤弄破了。

Dǎ qiú de shíhou shòushāng le, pífū nòngpò le.

I hurt it playing ball — I’ve grazed the skin.

A

疼不疼？

Téng bu téng?

Does it hurt?

B

疼死了！我受不了了。

Téng sǐ le! Wǒ shòubuliǎo le.

It hurts like mad! I can’t stand it.

A

快去医院让护士看看吧。下午的比赛你恐怕参加不了了。

Kuài qù yīyuàn ràng hùshi kànkan ba. Xiàwǔ de bǐsài nǐ kǒngpà cānjiā bu liǎo le.

Go to the hospital and let a nurse have a look. I’m afraid you won’t be able to play this afternoon.

B

真没办法。

Zhēn méi bànfǎ.

Nothing I can do.

New words

鼻子bízinose
肚子dùzibelly; abdomen; stomach
胳膊gēboarm
皮肤pífūskin
血xiěblood
汗hànperspiration; sweat
咳嗽késouto cough; cough
咳kéto cough
头痛tóutòngheadache
痛tòngto ache; pain
打针dǎzhēnto give or get an injection
护士hùshinurse
大夫dàifudoctor; physician
体检tǐjiǎnmedical check-up
体温tǐwēnbody temperature
体重tǐzhòngbody weight
受伤shòushāngto sustain injuries; wounded (in an accident etc); harmed
难受nánshòuto feel unwell; to suffer pain; to be difficult to bear
死sǐto die; (after an adjective) terribly
厉害lìhaifierce, terrible; awesome
受不了shòubuliǎocan’t stand
困kùnsleepy
醒xǐngto wake up; to be awake; to become aware
躺tǎngto recline; to lie down
弄nòngto do; to manage; to handle
破pòto break, to tear; broken, torn
量liángto measure
着zháoto reach a result: 睡不着 “can’t fall asleep”
吸xīto inhale; to smoke
烟yānsmoke; cigarette
严重yánzhònggrave; serious; severe; critical
减jiǎnto lower; to decrease; to reduce
减轻jiǎnqīngto lighten; to ease; to alleviate
流liúto flow
重zhòngheavy; serious
全身quánshēnthe whole body

📝 Worksheet for this lesson

Grammar

1. …死了 “terribly, to death”

adj. / feeling + 死了

死了 after an adjective or feeling verb is colloquial for “terribly, to death”: 累死了 “dead tired”, 饿死了 “starving”, 疼死了 “it hurts like mad”, 急死了 “worried sick”. It can be positive too: 高兴死了 “thrilled to bits”.

今天走了一天，累死了。

Jīntiān zǒule yì tiān, lèi sǐ le.

I’ve been walking all day — I’m dead tired.

考试通过了，我高兴死了！

Kǎoshì tōngguò le, wǒ gāoxìng sǐ le!

I passed the exam — I’m over the moon!

2. …得厉害 “badly, terribly”

Verb / adjective + 得厉害 means “badly, terribly” (often unpleasant): 头痛得厉害 “a terrible headache”, 咳得厉害 “coughing badly”. 厉害 on its own is “fierce, formidable; awesome”: 他真厉害！ “he’s amazing!”.

我头痛得厉害。

Wǒ tóu tòng de lìhai.

I have a terrible headache.

3. 吃得了 / 吃不了 “can / can’t”; 睡不着 “can’t fall asleep”

verb + 得 / 不 + 了 (liǎo)

了 here is read liǎo and means “manage”: 菜太多，我吃不了 “I can’t eat that much”, 明天我去不了 “I can’t go tomorrow”, 受不了 “can’t stand it”, 参加不了 “unable to take part”. Positive: 吃得了, 去得了. 着 zháo after a verb means “to reach the goal”: 睡不着 “can’t fall asleep”, 饿不着 “won’t go hungry”.

菜太多，我吃不了。

Cài tài duō, wǒ chī bu liǎo.

There’s too much food — I can’t eat it all.

明天我有事，去不了。

Míngtiān wǒ yǒu shì, qù bu liǎo.

I’m busy tomorrow — I can’t go.

晚上咳得睡不着觉。

Wǎnshang ké de shuì bu zháo jiào.

I cough so much at night I can’t sleep.

4. The body and illness

头痛 = 头疼 “headache” (痛 is more formal than 疼). 量体温 “take one’s temperature” — 量 is read liáng here. 体重 “body weight”, 体检 “check-up”. 受伤 “get hurt”, 流汗 “sweat”. 血 is read xiě in speech: 有血 “there’s blood!”. 严重 “serious (of illness, problems)”. 减 / 减轻 “reduce, ease”: 减轻体重 “lose weight”. 重 zhòng is “heavy”.

公司每年给我们体检。

Gōngsī měi nián gěi wǒmen tǐjiǎn.

The company gives us a check-up every year.

我的体重减了五公斤。

Wǒ de tǐzhòng jiǎnle wǔ gōngjīn.

I’ve lost five kilos.

这个箱子太重了。

Zhège xiāngzi tài zhòng le.

This suitcase is too heavy.

Exercises

1. Listen and choose the translation

Answer
我早上六点就醒了。 Wǒ zǎoshang liù diǎn jiù xǐng le. — I woke up at six in the morning.
Answer
跑完步出了很多汗。 Pǎowán bù chūle hěn duō hàn. — I sweated a lot after the run.
Answer
感冒了，鼻子不通。 Gǎnmào le, bízi bù tōng. — I’ve got a cold — my nose is blocked.
Answer
菜太多，我吃不了。 Cài tài duō, wǒ chī bu liǎo. — There’s too much food — I can’t eat it all.

2. Choose the correct option

“I’m starving”
Answer
饿死了。
“I can’t go tomorrow”
Answer
明天我去不了。
晚上咖啡喝多了，睡不___觉。
Answer
着
先___一下体温吧。
Answer
量

3. Build the sentence

I have a terrible headache.
Answer
我头痛得厉害。 Wǒ tóu tòng de lìhai.
It hurts like mad — I can’t stand it.
Answer
疼死了，我受不了了。 Téng sǐ le, wǒ shòubuliǎo le.
Lie down and rest properly.
Answer
好好躺着休息。 Hǎohǎo tǎngzhe xiūxi.
It’s not too serious — no injection needed.
Answer
不太严重，不用打针。 Bú tài yánzhòng, búyòng dǎzhēn.

4. Dialogue: answer as the speaker

You are speaker B. Pick the right reply and the conversation goes on.

A

你怎么了？哪儿不舒服？

Nǐ zěnme le? Nǎr bù shūfu?

What’s wrong? Are you unwell?

B

肚子疼得厉害。

Dùzi téng de lìhai.

I have a bad stomach ache.

A

是不是吃坏了东西？

Shì bu shì chīhuàile dōngxi?

Did you eat something bad?

B

可能是。我中午吃了很多烤肉。

Kěnéng shì. Wǒ zhōngwǔ chīle hěn duō kǎoròu.

Maybe. I ate a lot of barbecue at lunch.

A

那你下午的课还上得了吗？

Nà nǐ xiàwǔ de kè hái shàng de liǎo ma?

Can you still go to class this afternoon?

B

恐怕上不了了，我想去医院看看。

Kǒngpà shàng bu liǎo le, wǒ xiǎng qù yīyuàn kànkan.

I’m afraid not — I want to go to the hospital.

5. Translate into Chinese

I’m dead tired.
Answer
我累死了。
I can’t drink that much.
Answer
这么多我喝不了。
Last night I couldn’t fall asleep.
Answer
昨天晚上我睡不着觉。

💡 Did you know?: “Drink more hot water”

The most common Chinese advice for any ailment is 多喝热水 “drink more hot water”. Trains, stations and offices have hot-water boilers, and many people carry a flask. Hospitals have departments of traditional Chinese medicine, 中医, alongside conventional medicine (西医 “Western medicine”) — with herbs, acupuncture and massage.