wènhòu

wènhòu is a Mandarin Chinese term that translates to "temperature" or "fever." It is commonly used in everyday conversation to refer to the body's temperature, particularly when it is elevated due to illness. The term is composed of two characters: wēn (温), meaning "warm" or "temperature," and hòu (候), meaning "condition" or "state."

When someone has a fever, they might say "wǒ yǒuwèn" (我有问), meaning "I have a fever." Health professionals will often use the term when discussing a patient's symptoms or taking their temperature. Measuring wènhòu is a standard diagnostic procedure in medical settings.

The concept of wènhòu is fundamental to understanding health and illness in Chinese culture. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) also places importance on temperature as an indicator of the body's balance. While the direct translation is "temperature," in common usage, it most frequently refers to an abnormal, higher-than-normal body temperature indicative of sickness. The opposite, a low body temperature, is less commonly referred to by this specific term.