quányù: 痊愈 - To Recover Fully, To Be Completely Healed

• Keywords: quanyu, quán yù, 痊愈, how to say recover in Chinese, fully healed in Chinese, recover from illness Chinese, get well soon in Chinese, Chinese medical terms, 康复, 恢复, 好了
• Summary: Learn the Chinese word 痊愈 (quányù), which means to recover completely from an illness or injury. This page breaks down its meaning, cultural significance, and practical usage. Discover the difference between a full recovery (痊愈) and simply “getting better” (好了), and learn how to use it in well-wishes like “祝你早日痊愈” (wishing you a speedy recovery) for a deeper understanding of Chinese expressions about health and healing.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): quányù
• Part of Speech: Verb
• HSK Level: HSK 5
• Concise Definition: To be completely cured or fully recovered from an illness or injury.
• In a Nutshell: 痊愈 (quányù) is more than just “feeling better.” It signifies the final, complete end of a period of sickness or injury. Think of it as reaching the finish line of recovery. It implies that the ailment is gone, and health has been fully restored. It's a more formal and definitive term often used in medical contexts or for serious conditions.

• 痊 (quán): This character is all about healing. The radical `疒` (nè) is the “sickness radical,” appearing in many characters related to disease (like `病` bìng - illness, or `疼` téng - pain). The other part, `全` (quán), means “whole” or “complete.” So, `痊` literally suggests making an illness “whole” or “complete,” i.e., resolving it.
• 愈 (yù): This character means “to heal” or “to get better.” It's often seen in words related to healing and recovery.
• Combined Meaning: When you put 痊 (quán - to resolve an illness) and 愈 (yù - to heal) together, you get a powerful, reinforced meaning: to be completely and totally healed. The combination emphasizes the finality and totality of the recovery.

In Chinese culture, health and well-being are taken very seriously. The concept of achieving a full recovery, or 痊愈 (quányù), is a significant milestone that brings great relief to both the individual and their family. Contrast this with the casual American English phrase, “I'm over it,” which can be used for a cold or a minor annoyance. 痊愈 is reserved for a true return to health from a notable ailment. It reflects a cultural value of seeing things through to their proper conclusion. A partial recovery is just a step on the path; 痊愈 is the destination. This idea of wholeness (`全`) is a recurring theme in Chinese thought, and its presence in `痊愈` highlights the desire for a complete restoration of balance and health, not just the absence of symptoms. When someone is sick, the community and family focus on the goal of 痊愈. The common blessing, “祝你早日痊愈” (zhù nǐ zǎorì quányù), isn't just a polite “get well soon”—it's a sincere wish for the person to achieve that state of complete, restored wholeness.

痊愈 is typically used in more formal or serious contexts. You wouldn't use it for a simple headache or a common cold.

• Medical Context: This is its most common environment. Doctors use it to describe a patient's prognosis or final condition. It often appears in medical reports, hospital discharge papers, and formal conversations about health.
  • “The patient's pneumonia has completely cleared up.”
• Serious Illness or Injury: It's appropriate for recovering from things like surgery, a broken bone, a major infection, or a long-term illness.
  • “It took him three months to fully recover from the car accident.”
• Formal Well-Wishes: The phrase “祝你早日痊愈” (zhù nǐ zǎorì quányù) is a standard and sincere way to wish someone a full and speedy recovery. It's perfect for writing in a card or saying to someone facing a significant health challenge.
• Metaphorical Healing: Less commonly, it can be used metaphorically to describe recovering from deep emotional pain or trauma, like a broken heart. In this case, it implies a long and difficult process has finally come to an end.

Its connotation is always positive, signifying relief and a return to normalcy. Its formality level is medium to high.

• Example 1:
  • 医生的目标是让病人完全痊愈。
  • Pinyin: Yīshēng de mùbiāo shì ràng bìngrén wánquán quányù.
  • English: The doctor's goal is for the patient to make a full recovery.
  • Analysis: This is a classic example of using 痊愈 in a formal medical context. `完全 (wánquán)` means “completely” and is often used to emphasize the totality of the recovery.
• Example 2:
  • 祝你早日痊愈！
  • Pinyin: Zhù nǐ zǎorì quányù!
  • English: Wishing you a speedy (and full) recovery!
  • Analysis: This is one of the most common and useful phrases for learners. It's a standard, polite, and sincere way to express well-wishes.
• Example 3:
  • 他的腿伤需要很长时间才能痊愈。
  • Pinyin: Tā de tuǐ shāng xūyào hěn cháng shíjiān cái néng quányù.
  • English: His leg injury will require a long time to heal completely.
  • Analysis: This sentence highlights that 痊愈 is a process that takes time. It's used for injuries, not just illnesses.
• Example 4:
  • 经过几个月的治疗，他的病终于痊愈了。
  • Pinyin: Jīngguò jǐ ge yuè de zhìliáo, tā de bìng zhōngyú quányù le.
  • English: After several months of treatment, his illness was finally cured.
  • Analysis: The use of `终于 (zhōngyú - finally)` emphasizes the relief and long-awaited nature of the recovery.
• Example 5:
  • 这种病的痊愈率很高。
  • Pinyin: Zhè zhǒng bìng de quányù lǜ hěn gāo.
  • English: The complete recovery rate for this disease is very high.
  • Analysis: Here, 痊愈 is used almost like a noun component in the phrase `痊愈率 (quányù lǜ)`, meaning “recovery rate.”
• Example 6:
  • 别担心，小手术而已，很快就会痊愈的。
  • Pinyin: Bié dānxīn, xiǎo shǒushù éryǐ, hěn kuài jiù huì quányù de.
  • English: Don't worry, it's just a small operation; you'll be fully recovered very soon.
  • Analysis: This is a reassuring phrase, using 痊愈 to comfort someone before or after a medical procedure.
• Example 7:
  • 他的肺炎痊愈了吗？
  • Pinyin: Tā de fèiyán quányù le ma?
  • English: Has his pneumonia completely healed?
  • Analysis: A direct question about the status of a serious illness, where a simple “is he better?” might be too ambiguous.
• Example 8:
  • 心灵的创伤比身体的创伤更难痊愈。
  • Pinyin: Xīnlíng de chuāngshāng bǐ shēntǐ de chuāngshāng gèng nán quányù.
  • English: The wounds of the soul are harder to heal completely than the wounds of the body.
  • Analysis: A perfect example of the metaphorical use of 痊愈 for emotional or psychological healing.
• Example 9:
  • 只要你按时吃药，好好休息，我相信你一定会痊愈。
  • Pinyin: Zhǐyào nǐ ànshí chī yào, hǎohǎo xiūxi, wǒ xiāngxìn nǐ yīdìng huì quányù.
  • English: As long as you take your medicine on time and rest well, I believe you will definitely make a full recovery.
  • Analysis: This sentence provides encouragement by linking specific actions (taking medicine, resting) to the desired outcome of 痊愈.
• Example 10:
  • 这道疤痕提醒着我，那次事故的伤口已经痊愈了。
  • Pinyin: Zhè dào bāhén tíxǐng zhe wǒ, nà cì shìgù de shāngkǒu yǐjīng quányù le.
  • English: This scar reminds me that the wound from that accident has already fully healed.
  • Analysis: This example distinguishes between the wound healing (`伤口痊愈 shāngkǒu quányù`) and the evidence that remains (the scar). It shows the finality of the healing process.

• `痊愈 (quányù)` vs. `好了 (hǎo le)`: This is the most critical distinction for a learner.
  • `好了 (hǎo le)` is informal, common, and versatile. It means “to be better,” “to be okay,” or “to be done.”
    • My cold is better. → 我感冒好了。(Wǒ gǎnmào hǎo le.) - Correct
    • My homework is done. → 我作业好了。(Wǒ zuòyè hǎo le.) - Correct
  • `痊愈 (quányù)` is more formal and specific to complete recovery from an illness or injury.
    • My cold has fully recovered. → 我感冒痊愈了。(Wǒ gǎnmào quányù le.) - Grammatically okay, but sounds overly dramatic and formal for a simple cold.
    • My homework has fully recovered. → 我作业痊愈了。- Incorrect. Homework cannot get sick and recover.
• `痊愈 (quányù)` vs. `恢复 (huīfù)`:
  • `恢复 (huīfù)` means “to recover” or “to restore” and is much broader. It can refer to restoring health (`恢复健康`), strength (`恢复体力`), order (`恢复秩序`), or functionality (`系统恢复`). It often describes the process of getting back to a previous state.
  • `痊愈 (quányù)` refers to the final state of being completely cured of an ailment. The disease is gone.
  • Think of it this way: You go through a process of `恢复` (recovery/restoration) to achieve the final state of `痊愈` (fully healed).

• 好了 (hǎo le) - The most common and informal way to say “to be better” or “okay now.” An everyday equivalent for minor issues.
• 恢复 (huīfù) - A broader term for “to recover” or “to restore,” applicable to health, energy, systems, and more.
• 康复 (kāngfù) - Very similar to `痊愈`. It means “to recuperate” or “rehabilitate” and often emphasizes the process of regaining function and health, especially through therapy after a major event (e.g., `康复训练` - rehabilitation training).
• 好转 (hǎozhuǎn) - “To take a turn for the better.” This describes the process of improving, not the final healed state.
• 早日康复 (zǎorì kāngfù) - “Get well soon.” A common alternative to `祝你早日痊愈`, often used interchangeably.
• 病 (bìng) - The noun for “illness” or “sickness.” The direct opposite of a state of health.
• 伤口 (shāngkǒu) - “Wound” or “cut.” An injury that needs to `痊愈`.
• 治疗 (zhìliáo) - “To treat” (an illness). The medical process that hopefully leads to `痊愈`.
• 出院 (chūyuàn) - “To be discharged from the hospital,” an event that often happens once a patient is on the path to, or has already achieved, `痊愈`.