中医初体验 A First Try at Chinese Medicine

上个星期shàng ge xīngqī，我wǒ第一次dì yī cì去qù看kàn中医zhōngyī。

Last week, I went to see a Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor for the first time.

中医zhōngyī大夫dàifu先xiān给gěi我wǒ把脉bǎmài，然后ránhòu问wèn我wǒ最近zuìjìn睡shuì得de好不好hǎo bu hǎo。

The TCM doctor first took my pulse, then asked whether I had been sleeping well lately.

他tā说shuō我wǒ压力yālì太tài大dà，晚上wǎnshang睡shuì得de不够búgòu，所以suǒyǐ身体shēntǐ有点儿yǒudiǎnr虚xū。

He said I was under too much stress and not sleeping enough at night, so my body was a bit weak.

大夫dàifu给gěi我wǒ开了kāile一些yìxiē中药zhōngyào，让ràng我wǒ每天měitiān喝hē一次yí cì。

The doctor prescribed some Chinese herbal medicine for me and told me to drink it once a day.

药yào的de味道wèidao很hěn苦kǔ，但是dànshì喝了hēle几天jǐ tiān以后yǐhòu，我wǒ觉得juéde舒服shūfu多了duō le。

The medicine tasted very bitter, but after drinking it for a few days, I felt much more comfortable.

我wǒ还hái试了shìle针灸zhēnjiǔ，一开始yì kāishǐ有点儿yǒudiǎnr疼téng，后来hòulái就jiù习惯了xíguàn le。

I also tried acupuncture — it hurt a little at first, but I got used to it afterward.

朋友péngyou告诉gàosu我wǒ，看kàn中医zhōngyī需要xūyào耐心nàixīn，效果xiàoguǒ不是bú shì马上mǎshàng就jiù能néng看到kàndào的de。

A friend told me that seeing a TCM doctor requires patience, since the effects aren't visible right away.

这次zhè cì经验jīngyàn让ràng我wǒ对duì中医zhōngyī有了yǒule新的xīn de了解liǎojiě。

This experience gave me a new understanding of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

🔊 Audio uses your device's Chinese voice for now — teacher recordings are coming. Tap any word to see its meaning.

Key words 生词

中医zhōngyīTraditional Chinese Medicine (doctor)

把脉bǎmàito take someone's pulse

针灸zhēnjiǔacupuncture

虚xūweak; deficient (TCM term)

中药zhōngyàoChinese herbal medicine

大夫dàifudoctor

先……然后……

"First... then..." 先 marks the first action, 然后 marks what happens next: 中医大夫先给我把脉，然后问我最近睡得好不好。

我们先吃饭，然后去看电影。— Let's eat first, then go watch a movie.

让

让 + person + verb expresses letting or telling someone to do something: 大夫给我开了一些中药，让我每天喝一次。

妈妈让我早点儿回家。— Mom told me to come home early.

不是……的

Used at the end of a sentence to soften or emphasize a statement about how things are: 效果不是马上就能看到的。

学好一门语言不是一天两天的。— Mastering a language isn't something that happens in a day or two.

1. What did the TCM doctor do first, according to the text?

2. Why did the doctor say the author's body was weak (虚)?

3. How did the author feel about acupuncture over time?

After this reading

I'm Fei, and I teach Mandarin one-on-one on Preply. Bring this text to a trial lesson — we'll fix your tones and turn it into a real conversation.