miǎnyìlì: 免疫力 - Immunity, Immune System Strength

• Keywords: miǎnyìlì, 免疫力, immunity in Chinese, boost immunity, immune system strength, Chinese health, traditional Chinese medicine, TCM, how to say immunity in Chinese, improve immune system, resistance to disease
• Summary: Learn how to say “immunity” in Chinese with 免疫力 (miǎnyìlì). This essential term means “immunity” or “immune strength” and is a cornerstone of daily conversations about health and wellness in China. More than just a clinical term, `免疫力` encompasses the body's overall resilience and ability to fight off illness, often discussed with concepts from both modern medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). This guide will break down its meaning, cultural significance, and practical usage, helping you discuss health like a native speaker.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): miǎn yì lì
• Part of Speech: Noun
• HSK Level: HSK 6
• Concise Definition: The body's ability to resist disease; immunity.
• In a Nutshell: `免疫力` is the Chinese word for “immunity.” While it has a direct scientific meaning, in everyday life, it's used to talk about your body's general strength against getting sick. If you rarely catch colds, you have good `免疫力`. If you're always feeling under the weather, your `免疫力` is low. It's less about the specific cells and antibodies and more about the holistic concept of your body's defensive energy.

• 免 (miǎn): To avoid, to be exempt from, to excuse. Imagine being “excused” or “exempt” from an illness.
• 疫 (yì): Epidemic, pestilence, disease. The radical on the left, `疒` (nè), is the “sickness” radical, indicating a connection to illness.
• 力 (lì): Power, strength, force. The character itself resembles a simple plow, an ancient symbol of strength and labor.

When combined, 免 (avoid) + 疫 (disease) + 力 (power) literally means “the power to avoid disease,” a perfect and logical construction for the concept of immunity.

`免疫力` holds a special place in modern Chinese culture, acting as a bridge between Western scientific concepts and traditional Chinese wellness philosophies. In the West, “immunity” is often a clinical term discussed in the context of vaccines, white blood cells, and specific medical conditions. While these scientific discussions also happen in China, the day-to-day use of `免疫力` is far more holistic and preventative. It aligns closely with the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) concept of `正气 (zhèngqì)`, or “upright Qi.” `正气` is the body's inherent defensive energy that protects it from external pathogenic influences (`邪气 xiéqì`). While a doctor might discuss `免疫力` in terms of lymphocytes, a grandmother might advise you to improve your `免疫力` by drinking ginger tea, eating goji berries, and getting more sleep. These actions are believed to bolster the body's `正气`. This reflects a deep-seated cultural value of `养生 (yǎngshēng)`—the practice of nurturing life through preventative, holistic care. The focus is on maintaining balance and strength to prevent illness, rather than simply treating it after it occurs. Therefore, discussing how to `提高免疫力` (boost immunity) is an everyday topic that reinforces this cultural emphasis on proactive health management.

`免疫力` is an extremely common term used in a wide variety of contexts, from casual chats to major advertising campaigns.

• Daily Conversations: People frequently discuss their own or their family's `免疫力`. It's a common way to explain why someone is sick or healthy. For example, parents are often very concerned with building their child's `免疫力`. You'll often hear phrases like `提高免疫力` (tígāo miǎnyìlì - to boost immunity) or `免疫力下降了` (miǎnyìlì xiàjiàng le - immunity has dropped).
• Marketing and Advertising: This is a powerful buzzword. Health supplements, organic foods, milk powders for children, gym memberships, and air purifiers are all marketed with the promise of strengthening your `免疫力`.
• Health and Wellness Media: On social media platforms like Weibo and Xiaohongshu, health bloggers and influencers constantly share tips, recipes, and exercise routines designed to enhance `免疫力`.

The term carries a consistently positive and desirable connotation. High `免疫力` is synonymous with health, vitality, and well-being.

• Example 1:
  • 多运动可以提高免疫力。
  • Pinyin: Duō yùndòng kěyǐ tígāo miǎnyìlì.
  • English: Exercising more can boost immunity.
  • Analysis: This is a classic example of common health advice in China. `提高 (tígāo)` is the most common verb used to mean “increase” or “boost” immunity.
• Example 2:
  • 他最近总是生病，可能是免疫力太差了。
  • Pinyin: Tā zuìjìn zǒngshì shēngbìng, kěnéng shì miǎnyìlì tài chà le.
  • English: He's been getting sick all the time lately, maybe his immunity is too poor.
  • Analysis: `差 (chà)` is a common adjective meaning “poor” or “bad” and is frequently used to describe low immunity.
• Example 3:
  • 熬夜会导致免疫力下降。
  • Pinyin: Áoyè huì dǎozhì miǎnyìlì xiàjiàng.
  • English: Staying up late will lead to a decline in immunity.
  • Analysis: `下降 (xiàjiàng)` means “to decline” or “to drop.” This sentence structure, `[Cause] 会导致 [Effect]`, is very useful.
• Example 4:
  • 均衡的饮食对维持良好的免疫力至关重要。
  • Pinyin: Jūnhéng de yǐnshí duì wéichí liánghǎo de miǎnyìlì zhì guān zhòngyào.
  • English: A balanced diet is crucial for maintaining good immunity.
  • Analysis: This sentence demonstrates a more formal, written style. `维持 (wéichí)` means “to maintain,” and `至关重要 (zhì guān zhòngyào)` is a formal way to say “is extremely important.”
• Example 5:
  • 医生说，孩子的免疫力系统还没有完全发育。
  • Pinyin: Yīshēng shuō, háizi de miǎnyìlì xìtǒng hái méiyǒu wánquán fāyù.
  • English: The doctor said the child's immune system has not yet fully developed.
  • Analysis: Note the slight difference here. This uses `免疫力系统 (miǎnyìlì xìtǒng)`, a colloquial version of the more technical `免疫系统 (miǎnyì xìtǒng)` (immune system). While technically redundant (“immunity power system”), it's sometimes heard in speech.
• Example 6:
  • 这种保健品声称可以增强免疫力。
  • Pinyin: Zhè zhǒng bǎojiànpǐn shēngchēng kěyǐ zēngqiáng miǎnyìlì.
  • English: This health supplement claims to be able to enhance immunity.
  • Analysis: `增强 (zēngqiáng)`, meaning “to strengthen” or “to enhance,” is a synonym for `提高` and is often used in marketing contexts.
• Example 7:
  • 我免疫力好，所以一个冬天都没感冒。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ miǎnyìlì hǎo, suǒyǐ yī gè dōngtiān dōu méi gǎnmào.
  • English: My immunity is good, so I didn't catch a cold all winter.
  • Analysis: A simple and very natural way to state a cause-and-effect relationship about one's health.
• Example 8:
  • 长期的压力会削弱我们的免疫力。
  • Pinyin: Chángqī de yālì huì xuēruò wǒmen de miǎnyìlì.
  • English: Long-term stress can weaken our immunity.
  • Analysis: `削弱 (xuēruò)` is another useful verb meaning “to weaken” or “to impair,” often used in slightly more formal or scientific contexts than `差 (chà)`.
• Example 9:
  • 给孩子吃什么能提高免疫力呢？
  • Pinyin: Gěi háizi chī shénme néng tígāo miǎnyìlì ne?
  • English: What can I give my child to eat to boost their immunity?
  • Analysis: A very common question among parents in China. The particle `呢 (ne)` at the end softens the question, making it sound more conversational.
• Example 10:
  • 疫苗的原理就是激活身体自身的免疫力。
  • Pinyin: Yìmiáo de yuánlǐ jiùshì jīhuó shēntǐ zìshēn de miǎnyìlì.
  • English: The principle of a vaccine is to activate the body's own immunity.
  • Analysis: This sentence shows the term used in a scientific context. `激活 (jīhuó)` means “to activate.”

• “Immunity” (力) vs. “Immune System” (系统): This is the most critical distinction for learners.
  • `免疫力 (miǎnyìlì)` refers to immune strength or function. It's the “power” of your immune system.
  • `免疫系统 (miǎnyì xìtǒng)` refers to the immune system itself—the biological network of cells, tissues, and organs.
  • In English, you might say, “My immune system is weak.” While you can say `我的免疫系统很弱 (wǒ de miǎnyì xìtǒng hěn ruò)`, it's far more natural and common in everyday Chinese to say:
    • Correct: 我的免疫力很差。 (Wǒ de miǎnyìlì hěn chà.) - My immunity is poor.
    • Correct: 我的免疫力很低。 (Wǒ de miǎnyìlì hěn dī.) - My immunity is low.
• Use it as a Noun: `免疫力` is a noun. You cannot use it as a verb. English speakers might be tempted to say something like “This vitamain can *immunity* you,” which is incorrect. You must use it with a verb.
  • Incorrect: 这个药可以免疫力你。 (Zhège yào kěyǐ miǎnyìlì nǐ.)
  • Correct: 这个药可以提高你的免疫力。 (Zhège yào kěyǐ tígāo nǐ de miǎnyìlì.) - This medicine can boost your immunity.
• `免疫力` vs. `抵抗力 (dǐkànglì)`: `抵抗力` means “resistance power” and is a very close synonym. In many daily situations, they are used interchangeably. `免疫力` sounds slightly more scientific and specific to the immune system, while `抵抗力` can feel a bit more general, like “resistance to disease.” For a learner, using either one to mean “immunity” in a casual context will be perfectly understood.

• 免疫系统 (miǎnyì xìtǒng) - The immune system. The biological system, whereas `免疫力` is its strength or function.
• 抵抗力 (dǐkànglì) - Resistance (to disease). A very close synonym often used interchangeably in casual speech.
• 健康 (jiànkāng) - Health. Having good `免疫力` is a key component of being `健康`.
• 养生 (yǎngshēng) - Wellness practices, nurturing life. The cultural practice of maintaining health, often with the goal of improving `免疫力`.
• 中医 (zhōngyī) - Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The philosophical and medical tradition that informs the holistic cultural understanding of `免疫力`.
• 疫苗 (yìmiáo) - Vaccine. A medical tool used to train and improve the body's `免疫力` against specific pathogens.
• 感冒 (gǎnmào) - To have a cold. The most common ailment people associate with having low `免疫力`.
• 生病 (shēngbìng) - To get sick. The general negative outcome of having poor `免疫力`.
• 提高 (tígāo) - To raise, increase, boost. The most common verb paired with `免疫力`.
• 增强 (zēngqiáng) - To strengthen, enhance. A common synonym for `提高`, often used in marketing.