1.
serious illness; grave disease
a severe or life-threatening illness or medical condition
父は重病にかかった。
My father fell seriously ill.
重病患者は集中治療室に入れられた。
The critically ill patient was placed in the intensive care unit.
重病を克服して社会復帰を果たした彼女の姿に感動した。
I was moved by the sight of her overcoming a serious illness and returning to society.
Composed of 重 (heavy, serious) + 病 (illness). Describes a condition that is severe enough to be life-threatening or to require intensive medical care.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 重病にかかる: to fall seriously ill
- 重病患者: critically ill patient
- 重病を患う: to suffer from a serious illness
- 重病を克服する: to overcome a serious illness
- 重病から回復する: to recover from a serious illness
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 重症: serious condition — describes the severity of symptoms or injuries, not the disease itself
- 大病: major illness — similar meaning but slightly less formal; emphasizes the scale of the illness
- 難病: intractable disease — a disease that is difficult to cure, regardless of current severity