Chinese symbol for “numbness”
麻痹
má bì
Traditional: 麻痺
paralysis; palsy; numbness; to benumb
The closest CC-CEDICT match for numbness is 麻痹 (má bì), defined as: paralysis; palsy; numbness; to benumb; (fig.) to lull; negligent.
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Traditional forms
Other Chinese words for “numbness”
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 痹 (痺) | bì | paralysis; numbness |
Related words
Other words that share a character with 麻痹.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 麻烦 (麻煩) | má fan | trouble; inconvenience; inconvenient; troublesome; annoying |
| 大麻 | dà má | hemp (Cannabis sativa); cannabis |
| 麻将 (麻將) | má jiàng | mahjong; measure word: 局 (jú), 副 (fù) |
| 麻醉 | má zuì | anesthesia; to anesthetize; (fig.) to corrupt (sb's mind); to enervate; to numb the mind (to escape from harsh reality) |
| 麻木 | má mù | numb; insensitive |
| 麻雀 | má què | sparrow; (dialect) mahjong |
| 小儿麻痹 (小兒麻痺) | xiǎo ér má bì | polio (poliomyelitis) |
| 麻痹大意 (麻痺大意) | má bì dà yì | unwary; negligent |
See also: Japanese symbol for “numbness”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.