bìngdú

bìngdú (bìng·dú disease; illness; sickness · {poison; toxin [→ [[computer] virus]]} → [[computer] virus] 病毒) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

[Note: Tap/click on a Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) expression to reveal its “flashcard”, tap/click on a “flashcard” or its Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) expression to hide the “flashcard”.]

As of this writing, deep in the year 2021, the subject of the COVID-19 pandemic has been, to say the least, on people’s minds now for a while. So, it would be good to be able to refer to things related to it in Mandarin when speaking to people in the Mandarin field, or when speaking to our brothers and sisters in the truth.

An electron microscope image of SARS-CoV-2—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19
 NIAID

This week’s MEotW, “bìngdú (bìng·dú disease; illness; sickness · {poison; toxin [→ [[computer] virus]]} → [[computer] virus] 病毒)”, means “virus”. The literal meanings of its morphemes work out to something like “disease poison”, or the “poison” or deadly thing that causes a disease.

Just as the English word “virus” can refer to an actual biological virus or a computer virus, the Mandarin word “bìngdú (bìng·dú disease; illness; sickness · {poison; toxin [→ [[computer] virus]]} → [[computer] virus] 病毒)” can also refer to a biological virus or a computer virus.

Examples

Pleco’s built-in dictionary gives us the following example phrases for “bìngdú (bìng·dú disease; illness; sickness · {poison; toxin [→ [[computer] virus]]} → [[computer] virus] 病毒)”:

MEDICINE

📖 📄 📘 shòu ({subjected to} 受) bìngdú (bìng·dú sickness · poison → [virus] 病毒) gǎnrǎn (gǎn·rǎn {making to feel → [affecting]} · {making to catch} → [infecting] 感染)

infected by a virus

COMPUTING

📖 📄 📘 qīngchú (qīng·chú {clear away} · eliminate 清除) bìngdú (bìng·dú sickness · {poison → [computer virus]} → [computer virus] 病毒)

eliminate a virus

📖 📄 📘 jìsuàn jī ((jì·suàn computing · figuring 计算 計算) (jī machine 机 機/机) → [computer]) bìngdú (bìng·dú sickness · poison → [virus] 病毒)

(computer) virus