瘟疫
wēn yì · HSK 7
plague
🦠 瘟 (pestilence) + 疫 (epidemic) — both built on 疒, the sickness radical
Both characters carry 疒, the radical that marks illness. 瘟 means a spreading pestilence and 疫 means a contagious disease, so the pair doubles down on the idea of a widespread outbreak: an epidemic or plague.