Mr. Chen’s eyes lit up. He nodded vigorously and pointed to a different term in the book: “Jiǎo tòng” (绞痛)—gripping, twisting pain.
Maya tried to translate. "He says his heart is... vibrating? No, jumping like a fish?"
"Is it a flutter, or does it feel like a hollow void?" Li asked in Mandarin, pointing to the characters.
Dr. Li reached for the dictionary. The pages were soft and yellowed at the edges. He didn't just need the word for "arrhythmia"; he needed to find the specific nuance Mr. Chen was using to describe his pain.