How to Write 瘳 (chōu) — Meaning “to recover from illness”

Imagine a person lying in a hospital bed (疒) who suddenly hears the sound of a drum (like 翏’s top part resembling drumsticks) announcing their recovery. The drumbeat signals that the patient is now "chōu"—fully healed and ready to leave.

Pay special attention to the top part of the right component 翏: it has two "c"-like curves (彑) followed by a horizontal stroke, not a single shape. Also, the bottom of 翏 contains a vertical hook (㇁) inside 羽-like strokes; do not confuse it with 羽 (feathers). The overall balance is wide on the left (疒) and compact on the right.

瘳 (chōu) means recovery from illness, while 瘊 (hóu) means a wart or skin growth, and 瘌 (là) often refers to scalp infections like favus. Visually, 瘳 has the right component 翏 (with two curved tops and a hook), 瘊 has 侯 on the right, and 瘌 has 剌 on the right—each has a distinct shape and meaning.

瘳 is rarely used in everyday speech—it appears mainly in formal, literary, or medical contexts, such as 瘳愈 (chōu yù) meaning "fully recovered." It carries a classical flavor; you might see it in traditional Chinese medicine texts or poetic writing describing the end of an illness. In modern Chinese, the common word 痊愈 (quán yù) is preferred.

Common words containing 瘳 include: 瘳愈 (chōu yù) — to recover or be cured; 未瘳 (wèi chōu) — Not yet recovered (from illness); 获瘳 (huò chōu) — to recover from an illness.