1. a disease or period of sickness affecting the body or mind
影響身體或心理的疾病或患病時期
She missed a week of work due to a sudden illness.
她因為突然生病而請假一週。
The doctor diagnosed him with a serious illness.
醫生診斷他患了嚴重的疾病。
Illness Meaning（定義、用法、例句與發音）
illness
noun
快速理解
What does "Illness" mean?What are 2-3 core uses of "Illness"?
Illness refers to a state of poor health or a specific disease affecting the body or mind.
- 1
General Poor Health
EN: A state of being unwell or in poor health.
翻譯: 身體不適或健康狀況不佳的狀態。
- 2
Specific Disease
EN: A particular disease or medical condition.
翻譯: 一種特定的疾病或健康狀況。
- 3
Serious/Long-term Condition
EN: A serious or prolonged disease, often requiring medical treatment.
翻譯: 一種嚴重或長期的疾病，通常需要醫療。
- 4
Mental Health Condition
EN: A disorder affecting a person's mind or emotional state.
翻譯: 影響個人心理或情緒狀態的失調。
小提醒：Remember that 'illness' is generally uncountable when referring to the general state of being sick (e.g., 'recover from illness'), but can be countable when referring to specific types or instances (e.g., 'a serious illness', 'childhood illnesses').
發音（How to Pronounce "Illness" in English）
How to pronounce "Illness" in English?"Illness" US vs UK pronunciation
點擊下方的 US / UK 按鈕可播放發音。
Real-life Examples of "Illness" from YouTube Videos
What you don't know about marriage | Jenna McCarthy
TED
“He buys a ring, she buys a dress, They go shopping for all sorts of things, She takes him to Arthur Murray for ballroom-dancing lessons, And the big day comes And they'll stand before God and family and some guy her dad once did business with, and they'll vow that nothing -- not abject poverty, not life-threatening illness, not complete and utter misery -- will ever put the tiniest damper on their eternal love and devotion.”
(1 out of 21)
Definitions（定義）
What are the definitions of "Illness"?How does "Illness" change by context?
2. the state of being physically or mentally ill
身體或心理生病的狀態
His long illness left him very weak.
他長期生病，身體變得很虛弱。
There is a lot of stigma surrounding mental illness.
圍繞著心理疾病存在許多污名。
3. a specific type of disease, especially a serious or chronic one
特定類型的疾病，尤指嚴重或慢性的
Heart disease is a common illness in developed countries.
心臟病是已開發國家的常見疾病。
They are researching new treatments for autoimmune illnesses.
他們正在研究自體免疫疾病的新療法。
Grammar & Patterns（句型）
What are common sentence patterns for "Illness"?How to make natural sentences with "Illness"?
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| illness + verb | 疾病 + 動詞 | The illness spread quickly through the village. (這種疾病在村裡迅速蔓延。) |
| have/suffer from + an illness | 患有/遭受 + 疾病 | She has a chronic illness. (她患有一種慢性病。) |
| a(n) + adjective + illness | 一種 + 形容詞 + 疾病 | He was diagnosed with a serious illness. (他被診斷出患有嚴重的疾病。) |
| recover from/overcome + an illness | 從疾病中康復/戰勝疾病 | It took months to recover from the illness. (花了數月時間才從那場疾病中康復。) |
| the cause of + illness | 疾病的起因 | The cause of his illness remains unknown. (他生病的原因仍然不明。) |
| illness + that/which clause | 疾病 + 關係子句 | It's an illness that affects the nervous system. (這是一種影響神經系統的疾病。) |
用法說明
How is "Illness" different from similar structures?What usage mistakes are common with "Illness"?
illness 與 sickness 的區別
- illness 通常指持續一段時間、較為嚴重的疾病或身體不適狀態，可能包含明確的診斷或需要治療。
- sickness 的用法更廣泛，除了指疾病，也常指因特定原因（如暈車、懷孕）引起的短期不適或噁心感。
- 在正式或醫學語境中，描述具體的疾病診斷時，使用 illness 更為精確。
- 在口語中，兩者常可互換，但 sickness 有時帶有「不健康」或「病態」的抽象含義。 EN: He is recovering from a long-term illness. 翻譯: 他正在從一場長期疾病中康復。
EN:I felt a wave of sickness after the boat ride.
翻譯:坐完船後，我感到一陣噁心。
EN:Mental illness requires professional care and understanding.
翻譯:精神疾病需要專業的照護與理解。
EN:Car sickness can be prevented with medication.
翻譯:暈車可以透過藥物來預防。
總結建議
在描述具體、持續性的疾病時，建議優先使用 illness；而指暫時性的不適或噁心感時，則常用 sickness。
易混淆對比
What is the difference between "Illness" and similar words?How to choose "Illness" vs alternatives?
illness vs disease
「illness」通常指個人主觀感受到的生病狀態或不適，而「disease」則指醫學上可診斷的特定病理狀況。
illness vs sickness
「illness」與「sickness」常可互換，但「illness」較正式且多用於持續時間較長的狀況，「sickness」則較口語，有時特指噁心或短期不適。
illness vs condition
「illness」通常帶有負面意涵，指令人不適的疾病；「condition」則是中性詞，泛指任何健康狀態，包括疾病、失調或特殊狀況。
口語用法
How is "Illness" used in spoken English?What is the spoken vs formal difference for "Illness"?
引述
在轉述他人狀況或一般性討論時，常用來開啟話題或作為背景說明。 EN: I heard she's dealing with a long-term illness. 翻譯: 我聽說她正在對抗一種長期疾病。
EN:With his illness, he can't work full-time anymore.
翻譯:因為他的病，他沒辦法再全職工作了。
語氣強調
在表達擔憂、同情或強調嚴重性時，會加重語氣或搭配特定副詞。 EN: It's a serious illness, you really need to rest. 翻譯: 這是很嚴重的病，你真的需要休息。
EN:That's a terrible illness to go through.
翻譯:那是一種非常難熬的疾病。
停頓填充
在思考如何委婉表達或選擇措辭時，用作談話中的緩衝。 EN: She's been absent due to... well, an illness in the family. 翻譯: 她因為...嗯，家裡有人生病而請假。
EN:He's struggling with – you know – a mental illness.
翻譯:他正在對抗——你知道的——一種心理疾病。
正式寫作注意：在正式報告或學術寫作中，應避免口語化的停頓或模糊表述（如 "you know"），並使用更精確的醫學術語（如 "a diagnosed psychiatric disorder" 而非 "a mental illness"）來替代泛指的說法。
常見短語
What common collocations use "Illness"?What fixed phrases with "Illness" should I remember?
serious illness
adjective + illness
重病
mental illness
adjective + illness
精神疾病
recover from an illness
verb + from + illness
從疾病中康復
terminal illness
adjective + illness
末期疾病，絕症
suffer from an illness
verb + from + illness
罹患疾病
battle/fight an illness
verb + illness
對抗疾病
long-term illness
adjective + illness
長期疾病
diagnose an illness
verb + illness
診斷疾病
常見錯誤
What are common mistakes with "Illness"?Which "Illness" sentences look correct but are wrong?
×I have an illness of flu.
✓I have the flu. / I have a flu-like illness.
We typically do not say 'illness of [specific disease]'. For common diseases like flu, we use 'have the flu' or 'have a cold'. For more formal or general reference, we can say 'a flu-like illness' or 'an illness such as the flu'.
×He died from a long illness.
✓He died after a long illness.
While 'die from an illness' is grammatically correct, the more natural and common collocation for a prolonged sickness is 'die after a long illness'. 'Die from' is more often used for immediate or specific causes (e.g., die from injuries, die from cancer).
×I caught a mental illness.
✓I developed a mental illness. / I was diagnosed with a mental illness.
We do not use 'catch' for mental illnesses. 'Catch' implies acquiring an infectious disease quickly. Mental illnesses are generally described as 'developing', 'suffering from', or 'being diagnosed with'.
×There is many illness in the area.
✓There is a lot of illness in the area. / There are many illnesses in the area.
'Illness' can be both countable and uncountable. When referring to the general state of being sick (uncountable), use 'illness' (singular). When referring to specific types or instances of diseases (countable), use 'illnesses' (plural). The verb must agree.
×His absence was because of his illness.
✓His absence was due to illness.
While 'because of his illness' is not grammatically wrong, the phrase 'due to illness' (often without a possessive pronoun) is a more standard and formal collocation, especially in written English (e.g., medical certificates, official notices).
詞形變化
What are the word forms of "Illness"?What are tense/participle forms of "Illness"?