Triage

TREE-ahzh /ˈtriːɑːʒ/

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What it really means

Sorting patients by how urgent their problem is. In A&E a nurse triages you soon after arrival, and the most serious cases are seen first — so you are not seen in order of arrival, and quiet waits can be long.

Chinese explanation

分诊：按病情紧急程度给病人排序。在急诊科，到达后不久会有护士为你分诊，病情最重的先看——所以就诊顺序不按到达先后，轻症可能等很久。

Example conversation

A: People who arrived after me keep being called first. B: That's triage — the sickest patients are seen first, not the earliest.

A：比我晚来的人反而先被叫进去了。 B：那是分诊制度——病情最重的先看，不是先来先看。

What you could say back

No spoken reply needed for this one.

Related phrases

A&E NHS 111

Official sources

Rules and amounts change — confirm important details with the official source.

Go deeper

Dentists and Opticians in the UK: Costs, NHS Bands and How to Get Seen How the NHS Works: Where to Go When You Are Ill in England Mental Health Support in the UK: Where to Turn and How It Works

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Reviewed by the UK Decoded editorial team · Last checked 24 July 2026 · Report a mistake