Systemic describes a problem, a change, or an effect that reaches the *whole* of something, not one small part of it. If a hospital has a systemic problem, the trouble is not one bad nurse — it is in how the whole hospital is built and run, so changing one person fixes nothing.

Systemic describes a problem, a change, or an effectSystemic形容的是一個問題、一個改變，或一種影響，that reaches the whole of something, not one small part of it觸及的是整個東西，而不是其中一小部分。If a hospital has a systemic problem如果一間醫院有systemic problem（結構性的問題），the trouble is not one bad nurse問題不是出在某個不好的護理師身上——it is in how the whole hospital is built and run問題在整間醫院被建立、經營的方式，so changing one person fixes nothing所以換掉一個人什麼都解決不了。

The word is common in two places. In medicine, a systemic drug or infection travels through the whole body by way of the blood, unlike one that stays in a single spot: a cream on your skin is local, a pill that works everywhere is systemic.

The word這個字 is common in two places常出現在兩個地方。In medicine在醫學上，a systemic drug or infection travels through the whole body by way of the bloodsystemic的藥物或感染會透過血液跑遍全身，unlike one that stays in a single spot跟只停留在單一部位的不一樣：a cream on your skin is local塗在皮膚上的藥膏是local（局部性的），a pill that works everywhere is systemic一顆對全身都有作用的藥是systemic。

In talk about society, money, and organizations, 'systemic racism', 'systemic risk', 'systemic failure' all mean the trouble is built into the system itself. That second use has grown very common in the news since about 2008.

In talk about society, money, and organizations在講社會、金融，還有組織的時候，'systemic racism', 'systemic risk', 'systemic failure'「systemic racism」「systemic risk」「systemic failure」all mean the trouble is built into the system itself意思都是問題就內建在這個體制本身裡。That second use第二種用法 has grown very common in the news since about 2008大概從2008年起就在新聞裡變得很常見。

This is a formal word and, in the social sense, often a serious accusation — you are saying the fault is not personal but structural, which is a much bigger claim. Note that it is almost always used about problems and about medicine; you rarely hear 'systemic kindness'.

This is a formal word這是一個正式的字，and, in the social sense, often a serious accusation在講社會問題的意思上，常常是很嚴重的指控——you are saying the fault is not personal but structural你等於是在說，錯不在個人，而是在結構上，which is a much bigger claim這是一個大得多的指控。Note that it is almost always used about problems and about medicine要注意它幾乎都是用在問題和醫學上；you rarely hear 'systemic kindness'你很少會聽到「systemic kindness」。