Meaning of 睡眠
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- sleep
- to sleep
- (computing) to enter sleep mode
How to use 睡眠
睡眠 is a more formal noun used for sleep as a topic, such as sleep quality or sleep time, while everyday speech usually says 睡觉 (shuìjiào). It also appears on computers and phones for sleep mode. Example: 我最近睡眠不好。(Wǒ zuìjìn shuìmián bù hǎo.) I haven't been sleeping well lately.
Both characters have the eye radical 目 on the left, so think of eyes closing. 睡 (shuì) adds 垂 (chuí, to hang down), like eyelids drooping, and 眠 (mián) pairs the eye with 民, so together they mean sleep.
Common mistake: Learners often say 我要睡眠了 to mean they are going to bed. That sounds stiff, so use 我要睡觉了 (Wǒ yào shuìjiào le) instead. Also keep 眠 (mián, second tone) separate from 眼 (yǎn, eye), which looks similar but has 艮 on the right.
睡眠 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
睡 shuì · to sleep · 13 strokes
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眠 mián · sleep · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 睡眠.
| 睡觉 | shuìjiào | to go to bed; to sleep |
| 午睡 | wǔshuì | to take a nap in the afternoon |
| 睡着 | shuìzháo | to fall asleep |
| 催眠 | cuīmián | to lull to sleep; to hypnotize |
| 安眠药 | ānmiányào | sleeping pill |
| 失眠 | shīmián | to suffer from insomnia |
| 睡袋 | shuìdài | sleeping bag |
| 休眠 | xiūmián | (biology) dormant; (of a volcano) dormant |
| 酣睡 | hānshuì | to sleep soundly; to fall into a deep sleep |
| 睡衣 | shuìyī | night clothes; pajamas |
| 入睡 | rùshuì | to fall asleep |
| 沉睡 | chénshuì | to be fast asleep; (fig.) to lie dormant; to lie undiscovered |
Questions about 睡眠
What does 睡眠 mean?
睡眠 (shuìmián) means "sleep; to sleep" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 睡眠?
睡眠 is made of 2 characters: 睡 (13 strokes), 眠 (10 strokes). That is 23 strokes in total.
Is 睡眠 an HSK word?
Yes. 睡眠 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say 'sleep quality' or 'lack of sleep' in Chinese?
Sleep quality is 睡眠质量 (shuìmián zhìliàng). Lack of sleep is 睡眠不足 (shuìmián bùzú). These set phrases are common in health articles and doctor visits.
What is the difference between 睡眠 and 失眠?
睡眠 (shuìmián) is sleep itself. 失眠 (shīmián) uses 失, to lose, and means to suffer from insomnia, as in 我昨晚失眠了 (Wǒ zuówǎn shīmián le), I couldn't sleep last night.