One of the big questions during medical appointments is the patient’s feeling of discomfort and pain. Below is a quick guide to the different types of pains that may come up during a medical interview, along with their Chinese translations. Hope you’ll find this helpful.
| Type of Pain | Symptoms | Chinese Translation |
| Ache | Continuous pain. | 痛(tong) , 疼(téng), or疼痛 (téng tong) |
| Band-Like Pain | A squeezing type of pain. | 擠壓痛 (jǐ yā tòng) |
| Burning, searing | Pain that feels like it was caused by heat or fire. | 灼痛 (zhuó tòng) or燒灼感 (shāo zhuó gǎn, a burning sensation) |
| Cramps (menstrual) | Menstrual pain. | 經痛 (jīng tòng) |
| Cramping, grabbing pain | Spasmodic muscular contraction. Quick pain that feels like spasms or a sudden snatch | 绞痛 (jiǎo tong) or 痙攣 (jìng luán) |
| Cold Pain | Pain that comes with cold sensations. Often seen around the lower back, abdomen, and joints. | 冷痛 (lěng tong) |
| Dull pain | Pain that exists persistently but without much intensity. Pain that’s bearable. | 鈍痛 (dùn tòng), 悶痛 (mēn tòng), or 隱痛 (yǐn tòng) |
| Heavy Pain | Pain with a feeling of being weighted down. Often seen in the head and limbs. | 重痛 (zhòng tòng) |
| Moving pain | A pain that moves continually to different body parts. | 走窜痛 (zǒu chuàn tòng) |
| Needle-like | A pain as if from being punctured with a needle. | 刺痛 (cì tòng) |
| Pressing pain | Feeling as if there’s a weight pushing against part of the body. | 壓痛 (yā tòng) |
| Sharp pain | Cutting or penetrating pain by a sharp or pointing instrument. | 尖痛 (jiān tòng), 劇痛 (jù tòng) |
| Shooting, stabbing pain | Intermittent flash of pain. | 閃痛 (shǎn tong) |
| Splitting pain | Sensation of being ripped apart. | 撕裂痛 (sī liè tòng) or 撕裂般疼痛 (sī liè bān de tòng) |
| Tingling pain | Feelings of numbness as if being pricked by multiple needles. | 麻刺痛 (má cì tòng) |
What other types of pain have you encountered, or do you think I missed? Please share.
Happy interpreting!
Their Words. Your Voice. 