眠

mián
民 + 目

Definitions

mián (verb) to sleep; to hibernate

Etymology

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

Semantic: 目 Phonetic: 民

About

眠 is a phono-semantic compound formed by combining the eye radical 目 with the phonetic component 民. The radical 目, placed on the left, links the character to the eye, the eyelids, and the physical act of closing the eyes. The component 民, which ordinarily means "people" or "citizens", functions here solely as a phonetic guide and does not bring its demographic sense into the meaning. The character's primary meaning is to sleep or rest with closed eyes. From this core sense, it also applies to biological states of dormancy, including the hibernation of animals and the diapause of silkworms, a temporary suspension of activity or deep rest.

Example Sentences Hide

睡眠对健康有益。

Shuìmián duì jiànkāng yǒu yì.

Sleep is beneficial to health.

我每天需要八小时睡眠。

Wǒ měitiān xūyào bā xiǎoshí shuìmián.

I need eight hours of sleep every day.

她因为压力而失眠。

Tā yīnwèi yālì ér shīmián.

She has insomnia due to stress.

充足的睡眠能提高工作效率。

Chōngzú de shuìmián néng tígāo gōngzuò xiàolǜ.

Adequate sleep can improve work efficiency.

如果你失眠，可以喝一杯温牛奶。

Rúguǒ nǐ shīmián, kěyǐ hē yī bēi wēn niúnǎi.

If you have insomnia, you can drink a cup of warm milk.

许多动物在冬天会进入冬眠状态。

Xǔduō dòngwù zài dōngtiān huì jìnrù dōngmián zhuàngtài.

Many animals enter hibernation in winter.

长期睡眠不足可能导致健康问题。

Chángqī shuìmián bùzú kěnéng dǎozhì jiànkāng wèntí.

Long-term sleep deprivation may lead to health problems.

通过冥想和放松技巧，他可以改善自己的睡眠质量。

Tōngguò míngxiǎng hé fàngsōng jìqiǎo, tā kěyǐ gǎishàn zìjǐ de shuìmián zhìliàng.

Through meditation and relaxation techniques, he can improve his sleep quality.

Related Characters

Component: 民

民 氓 抿 泯 岷 珉 苠 冺 刡 呡 囻 姄 敃 昬

Component: 目

着 看 相 目 眼 省 睛 督 睡 冒 泪 眉 瞧 盯

Example Words

失眠 催眠 入眠 冬眠 睡眠 一夜无眠 不眠不休 休眠 休眠火山 催眠曲 催眠药 催眠术 助眠 安眠 安眠药 彻夜不眠 舒眠 补眠 酣眠 长眠