症

A phono-semantic compound:

疒 (“sick radical”) — semantic component, illness, disease

正 (“correct,” jeong) — phonetic component, provides sound

Originally, this character was a simplified form of 證 (증거 증).

證 basically meant “evidence,” but from that meaning it also carried the sense of “signs of illness” or “symptom.”

When used in this medical sense, people conventionally wrote it as 症. Because of this, many premodern Chinese dictionaries – including the Kangxi Dictionary (康熙字典) – did not list this character.

Later, in modern times, 症 became completely separated from 證 and gained an independent status.

In Korean, 症 is used almost exclusively in medical contexts, refers to symptoms, not the disease cause. Often pairs with 病 (병) when distinction is needed.

증상 (症狀) — symptom

증세 (症勢) — progression of symptoms

만성증 (慢性症) — chronic condition

급성증 (急性症) — acute condition

합병증 (合倂症) — complication

후유증 (後遺症) — aftereffects; sequela

임상증 (臨床症) — clinical symptoms

Related characters:

病 — disease; illness

疾 — sickness; rapid illness

痢 — dysentery

療 — treatment; therapy

症 represents the visible signs and manifestations of illness, rather than the illness itself. It developed as a technical medical term emphasizing observation, diagnosis, and treatment strategy.

In classical medicine, identifying 症 was essential for diagnosis.

The distinction 病 vs 症 remains important in East Asian medicine.

Classical citations

《黃帝內經》 (The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic)

「審其症而治之。」

“Examine the symptoms and then treat.”

《醫宗金鑑》 (The Golden Mirror of Medicine)

「症不同，治亦異。」

“When symptoms differ, treatment must also differ.”

《廣雅》 (Guangya)

「症，病之形也。」

“Symptoms are the visible forms of illness.”