寐 meaning and stroke order
Sleep; asleep
How to write 寐, stroke by stroke
12 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
Meaning of 寐
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to sleep soundly
How 寐 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A bed 爿 in a house 宀; 未 provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 宀 (roof), shared by 67 characters on this site.
How to remember 寐
Under a roof 宀 there is a bed 爿, and you are lying on it, not 未 (wèi) awake yet. That is 寐 (mèi), to be asleep, and 未 also hints at the sound.
寐 is a literary character and rarely appears alone in everyday speech, where people say 睡 (shuì) instead. You will mostly meet it in set phrases and idioms. Example: 这是我梦寐以求的工作。(Zhè shì wǒ mèngmèiyǐqiú de gōngzuò.) This is the job I have dreamed of.
Common mistake: Learners often swap the bottom right part 未 (wèi) for 末 (mò), which has a longer top stroke. In 未 the upper horizontal is shorter than the lower one. Also do not confuse 寐 with 寝 (qǐn), another sleep character with 宀 and 爿.
Common words with 寐
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 梦寐以求 | mèngmèiyǐqiú | (lit.) to yearn for sth even in one's dreams (idiom); (fig.) to deeply long for; to covet |
Questions about 寐
How many strokes are in 寐?
寐 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 寐 mean?
寐 (mèi) means sleep; asleep. A common word with it is 梦寐以求 (mèngmèiyǐqiú), meaning "(lit.) to yearn for sth even in one's dreams (idiom); (fig.) to deeply long for; to covet".
How do you pronounce 寐?
寐 is pronounced mèi, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 寐?
The radical of 寐 is 宀, which carries the idea of "roof". Dictionaries list 寐 under this radical.
Can I use 寐 to say I am going to sleep?
Not in normal conversation. Say 我去睡觉 (wǒ qù shuìjiào). 寐 belongs to written, classical, or idiomatic language.
What other expressions use 寐?
Besides 梦寐以求, you may see 夜不能寐 (yè bù néng mèi), unable to sleep at night, often used for worry or excitement. Both are fixed literary phrases.