Covid 19 Chinese Vocabulary Updates
After the world has been through the pandemic for two years, several new terms came out such as vaccine pass. Therefore, I am writing this updated list for Covid-19 Chinese vocabulary (and hoping not to write an updated one for 2023).
Want to study any time anywhere? You can also download complete vocabulary list as PDF at the end of the blog post.
General Covid 19-Related Vocabulary
pandemic | dà liú xíng | 大流行 |
epidemic | yì qíng | 疫情 |
virus | bìng dú | 病毒 |
variant | biàn zhǒng | 变种 |
quarantine | gé lí | 隔离 |
contagious | chuán rǎn | 传染 |
infect/infection | gǎn rǎn | 感染 |
incubation period | qián fú qī | 潜伏期 |
test | jiǎn cè | 检测 |
positive | yīn xìng | 阳性 |
negative | yáng xìng | 阴性 |
PCR test | hé suān jiǎn cè | 核酸检测 |
rapid test | kuài shāi | 快筛 |
test report | jiǎn cě bào gào | 检测报告 |
outbreak/Surge | bào zēng | 暴增 |
spread/transmission | chuán bō | 传播 |
cases | bìng lì | 病例 |
confirmed case | què zhěn bìng lì | 确诊病例 |
positive rate | què zhěn lù | 确诊率 |
mortality rate | sǐ wáng lù | 死亡率 |
hospitalization rate | zhù yuan lù | 住院率 |
control | kòng zhì | 控制 |
lockdown | fēng chéng | 封城 |
herd immunity | qún tǐ miǎn yì | 群体免疫 |
reopen the economy | jīng jì chóng kāi | 经济重开 |
work from home | zài jiā gōng zuò | 在家工作 |
video meeting | shì xùn kāi huì | 视讯开会 |
remote learning | yuǎn jù jiāo xué | 远距教学 |
WHO | shì jiè wèi shēng zǔ zhī | 世界卫生组织 |
prevent/prevention | yù fáng | 预防 |
hospital | yī yuàn | 医院 |
treat/treatment | zhì liáo | 治疗 |
droplet | fēi mò | 飞沫 |
ventilation | tōng fēng | 通风 |
diagnose | zhěn duàn | 诊断 |
symptoms | zhèng zhuàng | 症状 |
recover | fù yuan | 复原 |

Symptom-Related Vocabulary
symptoms | zhèng zhuàng | 症状 |
sick | shēng bìng | 生病 |
fever | fā shāo | 发烧 |
cough | ké sòu | 咳嗽 |
sore throat | hóu lóng tòng | 喉咙痛 |
vomit | ǒu tù | 呕吐 |
nasal congestion | bí sāi | 鼻塞 |
short of breath | hū xī kùn nán | 呼吸困难 |
asymptomatic | wú zhèng zhuàng | 无症状 |
respiratory infection | hū xī dào gǎn rǎn | 呼吸道感染 |
runny nose | liú bí shuǐ | 流鼻水 |
pneumonia | fèi yán | 肺炎 |
headache | tóu tòng | 头痛 |
chill | dǎ lěng zhàn | 打冷颤 |
diarrhea | fù xiè | 腹泻 |
fatigue | pí láo | 疲劳 |
muscle aches | jī ròu suān tòng | 肌肉酸痛 |
loss of taste or smell | sàng shī wèi jué huò xiù jué | 丧失味觉或嗅觉 |

Prevention-Related Covid-19 Chinese Vocabulary
prevention | yù fáng | 预防 |
mask | kǒu zhào | 口罩 |
cloth mask | bù kǒu zhào | 布口罩 |
surgical mask | yī liáo kǒu zhào | 医疗口罩 |
wear mask | dài kǒu zhào | 戴口罩 |
vaccine | yì miáo | 疫苗 |
proof of vaccine | yì miáo zhèng míng | 疫苗证明 |
vaccine passport | yì miáo hù zhào | 疫苗护照 |
vaccine pass | yì miáo tōng xíng zhèng | 疫苗通行证 |
antibody | kàng tǐ | 抗体 |
wash hands | xǐ shǒu | 洗手 |
Don’t touch face | bié mō liǎn | 别摸脸 |
social distance | shè jiāo jù lí | 社交距离 |
hand sanitizer | miǎn xǐ xǐ shǒu yì | 免洗洗手液 |
disinfect/disinfection | xiāo dú | 消毒 |
disinfectant wipes | xiāo dú shī jīn | 消毒湿巾 |
alcohol | jiǔ jīng | 酒精 |
If interested in more learning materials, check out this post- 130 Basic Chinese Phrases You Can’t Miss