眠 mián sleep
sleep; shut-eye; hibernation
怎么记住“眠”: 目 eye + 民 citizens = sleep. At the town meeting one eye after another closes, and soon half the citizens in the hall have drifted off to sleep.
部件结构
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
眠 = 目 eye + 民 citizens
- 目 eye meaning
- 民 citizens sound
At the town meeting one eye after another closes, and soon half the citizens in the hall have drifted off to sleep.
How it came to be
The eye gives the meaning and the right part the sound: you close your eyes to sleep.
用法
- Bound, somewhat literary/medical word for "sleep". You don't say 我要眠了 for "I'm going to sleep", that's plain 睡觉.
- 失眠 (shīmián) "insomnia" and 睡眠 (shuìmián) "sleep" (as a noun, e.g. 睡眠质量 "sleep quality") are the everyday medical/health-article terms.
- 催眠 (cuīmián) "hypnosis" and 休眠 (xiūmián) "dormant" (for animals or software/systems) extend the root sense.
- 安眠药 (ānmiányào) "sleeping pill" is the standard term you'd hear at a pharmacy.