Xiaoyu sees a doctor about a cold that has dragged on for two days. He prescribes medicine and rest.
The doctor
哪儿不舒服？
Nǎr bù shūfu ?
What seems to be the trouble?
Xiaoyu
我感冒了，头疼，还咳嗽。
Wǒ gǎnmào le, tóu téng, hái késou.
I have caught a cold, my head aches and I have a cough.
The doctor
发烧吗？
Fāshāo ma ?
Any fever?
Xiaoyu
早上三十七度八。
Zǎoshang sānshí qī dù bā.
Thirty-seven point eight this morning.
The doctor
不高。吃药了吗？
Bù gāo. Chī yào le ma ?
That is not high. Have you taken anything?
Xiaoyu
吃了两天了，还是不好。
Chī le liǎng tiān le, háishi bù hǎo.
For two days now, and it is no better.
The doctor
我给你开点儿药。一天三次，饭后吃。
Wǒ gěi nǐ kāi diǎnr yào. Yī tiān sān cì, fàn hòu chī.
I will write you up something. Three times a day, after meals.
Xiaoyu
明天可以上班吗？
Míngtiān kěyǐ shàngbān ma ?
Can I go to work tomorrow?
The doctor
最好在家休息一天，多喝热水。
Zuìhǎo zài jiā xiūxi yī tiān, duō hē rè shuǐ.
Better to stay at home for a day and drink plenty of hot water.
Xiaoyu
好的，谢谢医生。
Hǎo de, xièxie yīshēng.
I will, thank you doctor.
It means "where are you uncomfortable" and opens every consultation. 舒服 means comfortable; its negative covers bodily discomfort, from a slight malaise to real pain. You answer by naming the part of the body followed by 疼: 头疼, 肚子疼, 嗓子疼.
三十七度八 is read whole number first, tenth second, with 度 between the two: 37.8 °C. Chinese doctors reckon a fever begins at 三十七度五, and speak of 高烧 above thirty-nine. As everywhere in these lessons, the degrees are Celsius.
多喝水 means "drink more water", and it is the advice every Chinese person gives every patient. 多 goes before the verb, never after: 多休息, 多吃, 多走走. Its opposite is 少: 少吃辣, eat less spicy food.
