治疗 (zhì liáo) is a verb meaning 'to treat (an illness or medical condition)'. It combines two characters: 治 (zhì), which means 'to govern', 'to manage', or 'to cure', and 疗 (liáo), meaning 'to heal' or 'to treat medically'. Together, they emphasize the active, purposeful process of intervening to restore health—whether through medicine, therapy, surgery, or other clinical methods. Unlike broader terms like 养生 (yǎngshēng, 'health maintenance'), 治疗 specifically refers to interventions aimed at curing or alleviating diagnosed conditions.

This word is commonly used in formal and medical contexts—such as doctor-patient conversations, hospital signage, prescriptions, and health reports. It often appears with objects like 疾病 (jíbìng, 'disease'), 癌症 (áizhèng, 'cancer'), or 感冒 (gǎnmào, 'cold'), and frequently follows subjects like 医生 (yīshēng, 'doctor') or 医院 (yīyuàn, 'hospital'). It is rarely used for minor self-care or preventive measures—those are more likely described with 保养 (bǎoyǎng) or 预防 (yùfáng).