1.
to be ill; to fall sick
To become physically ill or to suffer from a disease. Often literary in tone.
長年胃を病んでいる。
He has been suffering from a stomach condition for years.
過労で体を病んで、入院することになった。
He fell ill from overwork and ended up being hospitalized.
2.
to be troubled; to be mentally unwell
To suffer psychologically, to be in mental anguish, or to have one's mind or heart affected by worry or distress. Very common in modern usage, especially in the form 病んでいる.
心を病む。
To become mentally ill.
あの子、最近病んでるっぽい。
That person seems to be in a dark place lately.
SNSの誹謗中傷で精神的に病んでしまった。
The online slander took a toll on their mental health.
仕事のストレスで病んで会社を辞めた人も少なくない。
There are not a few people who quit their jobs after becoming mentally worn down by work stress.
USAGE:
A godan verb (五段活用: 病まない、病みます、病む、病めば、病もう). While the physical illness sense (sense 1) is somewhat literary, the mental health sense (sense 2) is very common in modern Japanese, especially among younger speakers.
MODERN USAGE:
The ている form 病んでいる (colloquially 病んでる) is widely used in casual speech and online to describe someone who seems mentally troubled, depressed, or emotionally unstable. This casual usage has become pervasive in youth language.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 心を病む: to become mentally ill
- 体を病む: to fall physically ill
- 精神を病む: to suffer a mental illness
- 病んでる: to be in a bad mental state (casual)