瞌

kē
盍 + 目

Definitions

kē used in 瞌睡[kē shuì]

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 目 represents the meaning and 盍 represents the sound.

Semantic: 目 Phonetic: 盍

About

瞌 is a phono-semantic compound: the left radical 目 (eye) indicates the meaning relates to the eyes or their condition, while the right component 盍 (hé) provides the sound and originally meant "to cover" or "why not". The combination suggests eyelids drooping or covering the eyes from tiredness, giving the character its sense of dozing off or feeling sleepy. Its meaning has always been strictly limited to sleepiness or napping, without developing secondary metaphorical uses.

Example Sentences Hide

我上课时打瞌睡。

Wǒ shàngkè shí dǎ kēshuì.

I dozed off during class.

他晚上没睡好，现在很瞌睡。

Tā wǎnshang méi shuì hǎo, xiànzài hěn kēshuì.

He didn't sleep well last night, so he's very drowsy now.

下午的阳光让人容易打瞌睡。

Xiàwǔ de yángguāng ràng rén róngyì dǎ kēshuì.

The afternoon sunshine makes people easily doze off.

为了避免打瞌睡，他喝了一杯咖啡。

Wèile bìmiǎn dǎ kēshuì, tā hēle yī bēi kāfēi.

To avoid dozing off, he drank a cup of coffee.

如果你感到瞌睡，就应该休息一下。

Rúguǒ nǐ gǎndào kēshuì, jiù yīnggāi xiūxi yīxià.

If you feel drowsy, you should take a break.

昨天开会的时候，我不小心打了瞌睡。

Zuótiān kāihuì de shíhou, wǒ bù xiǎoxīn dǎle kēshuì.

During the meeting yesterday, I accidentally dozed off.

长时间的阅读会导致眼睛疲劳和瞌睡。

Cháng shíjiān de yuèdú huì dǎozhì yǎnjīng píláo hé kēshuì.

Prolonged reading can cause eye fatigue and drowsiness.

尽管他努力保持清醒，但瞌睡虫还是不断来袭。

Jǐnguǎn tā nǔlì bǎochí qīngxǐng, dàn kēshuìchóng háishì bùduàn lái xí.

Although he tried hard to stay awake, the sleepiness kept attacking him.

Related Characters

Component: 盍

磕 阖 嗑 溘 蓋 搕 榼 豔 闔 饁 馌

Component: 目

着 看 相 目 眼 省 睛 督 睡 冒 泪 眉 瞧 盯

Example Words

瞌睡 打瞌睡