Meaning of 睡着
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to fall asleep
How to use 睡着
睡着 describes the moment you actually fall asleep, not just going to bed. It often appears with 了 or in the negative 睡不着 (can't fall asleep). Example: 我昨天十二点才睡着。 (Wǒ zuótiān shí'èr diǎn cái shuìzháo.) I didn't fall asleep until twelve last night.
睡 (shuì) means to sleep, and 着 (zháo) here means to reach or succeed, like 着火 (zháohuǒ), when fire catches. So 睡着 is sleep that finally catches hold of you.
Common mistake: Learners often read 着 here as the neutral zhe, as in 接着 (jiēzhe), but in 睡着 it is zháo with a second tone. Also, do not use 睡觉 (shuìjiào) when you mean the result of falling asleep. 我睡觉了 means I'm going to bed, while 我睡着了 means I fell asleep.
睡着 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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着 zhe · aspect particle indicating action in pr… · 11 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 睡着.
| 睡觉 | shuìjiào | to go to bed; to sleep |
| 接着 | jiēzhe | to catch and hold on; to continue |
| 午睡 | wǔshuì | to take a nap in the afternoon |
| 着火 | zháohuǒ | to catch fire |
| 着急 | zháojí | to worry; to feel anxious; to feel a sense of urgency; to be in a hurry |
| 意味着 | yìwèizhe | to signify; to mean |
| 随着 | suízhe | along with; in the wake of |
| 有着 | yǒuzhe | to have; to possess |
| 用不着 | yòngbuzháo | not need; have no use for |
| 睡眠 | shuìmián | sleep; to sleep |
| 沿着 | yánzhe | to go along; to follow |
| 指着 | zhǐzhe |
Questions about 睡着
What does 睡着 mean?
睡着 (shuìzháo) means "to fall asleep".
How do you write 睡着?
睡着 is made of 2 characters: 睡 (13 strokes), 着 (11 strokes). That is 24 strokes in total.
Is 睡着 an HSK word?
Yes. 睡着 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 睡着 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 睡着 is written 睡著.
What does 睡不着 mean?
睡不着 (shuì bu zháo) means unable to fall asleep. The 不 between the two parts shows you tried but could not reach sleep. You can also say 睡得着 (shuì de zháo) for able to fall asleep.
Can 睡着 ever be read as shuìzhe?
Yes. When 着 is the aspect marker, 睡着 (shuìzhe) means being in a sleeping state, as in 他在床上睡着 (He is lying asleep in bed). Context decides, but the meaning to fall asleep is always shuìzháo.