# barefoot doctor

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A farmer or rural resident with basic medical training who worked as a doctor in rural areas of the People's Republic of China from the mid-1960s until the 1980s, generally under a government-sponsored program.

## Etymology
Derived from the practice of farmers in southern China working barefoot in rice paddies.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/barefoot-doctor