Definition
卫生 (wèi shēng) refers to cleanliness and practices that prevent disease — it's a noun ('hygiene, sanitation') or adjective ('hygienic, sanitary'). Unlike 健康 (jiàn kāng 'healthy'), which describes a person's overall physical condition, 卫生 focuses on environmental or behavioral cleanliness (e.g., food hygiene, bathroom sanitation). The related word 卫生间 (wèi shēng jiān) is a specific place: 'bathroom, toilet'.
noun
hygienesanitation
adjective
hygienicsanitary
Easily confused
- 尾声wěi shēngsound-alike(music) coda; concluding passage
Examples
- 卫生。Zhùyì gèrén wèi shēng hěn zhòngyào.Paying attention to personal hygiene is very important.
- 卫生。Zhè jiā cāntīng de wèi shēng tiáojiàn hěn hǎo.The sanitary conditions at this restaurant are very good.
- 卫生。Chúfáng yào bǎochí wèi shēng gānjìng.The kitchen must be kept clean and hygienic.
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