The Chinese idiom 梦寐以求 (mèngmèiyǐqiú) is formed through a classical grammatical structure where the first two characters, 梦 (dream) and 寐 (sleep), are combined to mean "both in dreams and while awake", creating a state of constant thought; this adverbial phrase is then linked by the connective particle 以 to the verb 求 (to seek or desire), forming the complete meaning "to desire something so intensely that one pursues it even in dreams", thus idiomatically expressing a deep, lifelong yearning or an utmost aspiration.