Telling doctor stomach hurts: Saying your stomach hurts and for how long

💬 Use 还是 (hái shi) to offer a choice between two options in a question: "A 还是 B?" No 吗 is needed at the end.

💬 以后 comes after the action, unlike English "after". Reuse it with other actions: 睡觉以后 "after sleeping".

💬 Put 更 (gèng) before 疼 or any adjective to mean "even more". For example, 更好 means "better".

💬 The time phrase 吃饭以后 comes first and the complaint comes second. This time-before-action order is standard in Chinese.

💬 拉肚子 (lā dù zi) literally means "pull belly". It's the everyday, non-embarrassing way to say diarrhea.

💬 To answer a yes/no question, repeat the verb: 不 plus the verb means no. You don't need a separate word for "no".

💬 胃 (wèi) is the stomach organ itself, while 肚子 is the belly area in general. 不好 after a body part is a common way to say it has a chronic problem.

💬 开 usually means "open", but with 药 (yào) "medicine" it means to prescribe. 点 is short for 一点 "a little, some".

💬 给你 comes before the verb and marks who benefits from the action. For example, 我给你打电话 means "I'll call you".

🇨🇳 In Chinese hospitals you usually take the prescription slip to pay at a cashier window first, then collect the medicine at the hospital pharmacy.

💬 别 (bié) before a verb means "don't". Adding 的 after an adjective turns it into "food or things of that kind", as in 凉的 "cold stuff".

🇨🇳 Chinese doctors very often give diet advice like avoiding spicy, cold or greasy food. Expect to hear it with almost any stomach complaint.

🇨🇳 慢走 literally means "walk slowly". Hosts, shopkeepers and doctors say it to people as they leave, so you don't need to reply beyond a nod or 谢谢.