疒
nè
Put a sickbed on a character and the body lies down
The picture A person propped against a bed, unable to push themselves back up. 疒 is the body losing its strength and lying down; 健 is the body still holding itself up.
Where the picture shows up in 疒
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taking to your bed
他生病了，今天请假。
tā shēngbìng le, jīntiān qǐngjià
He's ill, so he took the day off.
Someone half-dressed for work turning back and climbing under the covers
生病 is illness happening to you, not a state you are in.
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one spot jabbing
我肚子有点疼。
wǒ dùzi yǒudiǎn téng
My stomach hurts a bit.
A hand pressed on one point of the belly, the body curling around it
疼 is the sharp, jabbing kind of hurt — the everyday spoken word.
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a deep, steady throb
伤口还有点痛。
shāngkǒu hái yǒudiǎn tòng
The wound still hurts a little.
Under the bandage, the cut throbbing in time with the pulse
痛 runs deeper and heavier than 疼: 头痛, 痛苦.
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flesh worn away
他最近瘦了很多。
tā zuìjìn shòu le hěn duō
He's lost a lot of weight lately.
A belt buckled two notches further in than before
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strength all spent
连着加班，身体很疲劳。
liánzhe jiābān, shēntǐ hěn píláo
Back-to-back overtime — I'm worn out.
Shoulders collapsing at the desk, eyelids sliding shut
All of it in one picture
疒 is one person laid against a bed. Stay down for days and it becomes illness; let one spot jab at you and it becomes an ache; let that jabbing go deep and stay and it becomes pain. Lose flesh while you are down and it becomes thinness; lose all your strength and it becomes exhaustion. So every character wearing 疒 points to the same side: the body giving out and going flat.