How to Write 痨 (láo) — Meaning “tuberculosis; consumption”

Imagine a person working so hard (劳) that they collapse with an illness (疒) from exhaustion—this is the traditional idea of "consumption." Picture a sick worker lying in bed, coughing from overwork, to connect 劳 inside the sick radical to tuberculosis.

When writing 痨, be careful that the left radical 疒 has three strokes: a dot, a horizontal with a downward left stroke, and two small dots inside—do not confuse it with 广. The right part 劳 has a grass radical (艹) on top, not two crosses; also keep the bottom 力 (strength) balanced below the 冖 cover.

痨 specifically refers to tuberculosis, a chronic lung disease, while 疰 (zhù) means a seasonal disease or chronic digestive illness. 疱 (pào) means blister or pustule on the skin. Visually, 痨 contains 劳 (toil) inside, 疰 has 主 (master) inside, and 疱 has 包 (wrap) inside.

Today 痨 appears mostly in medical or historical contexts, such as 肺痨 (fèi láo, tuberculosis) or the word 痨病 (láo bìng, tubercular disease). In older Chinese literature, "consumption" (痨) was a common fatal disease linked to overwork and poverty, and the character carries a sad, tragic cultural tone.

Common words containing 痨 include: 痨病 (láo bìng) — tuberculosis; consumption; 肺痨 (fèi láo) — tuberculosis (TB); 痨疾 (láo jí) — tuberculosis; chronic wasting disease.