Chinese Character: 眠
1. Character Basics
Radical: 目 (mù) - Eye radical
Stroke Count: 10 strokes
Stroke Order:
2. Pronunciation
Pinyin: mián (Second tone)
3. Meaning
Sleep; to sleep; slumber; drowsy
4. Common Words
- 睡眠 (shuìmián) - Sleep
- 失眠 (shīmián) - Insomnia; sleeplessness
- 安眠 (ānmián) - Peaceful sleep; rest in peace
- 入眠 (rùmián) - To fall asleep
- 冬眠 (dōngmián) - Hibernation
- 催眠 (cuīmián) - Hypnosis; to hypnotize
- 长眠 (chángmián) - Eternal sleep; death
- 嗜睡 (shìmián) - Drowsiness; excessive sleepiness
5. Grammar & Usage
The character \u0022眠\u0022 is primarily used as a verb meaning \u0022to sleep\u0022 or as a noun referring to the state of sleep. As a verb, it is often used in formal contexts or literary works. In modern Chinese, it is more commonly found in compound words rather than being used alone. For example, \u0022睡眠\u0022 (shuìmián) meaning \u0022sleep\u0022 or \u0022失眠\u0022 (shīmián) meaning \u0022insomnia\u0022. When used as a verb, it can be combined with adverbs like \u0022难以\u0022 (nányǐ) to form \u0022难以入眠\u0022 (nányǐ rùmián) meaning \u0022difficult to fall asleep\u0022.
6. Cultural Background
Sleep has been an important topic in Chinese culture and philosophy for thousands of years. Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes the importance of adequate sleep for maintaining good health and balance in the body. The concept of \u0022眠\u0022 is often found in classical poetry and literature, where it is used to express emotions, loneliness, or the passage of time. In Chinese culture, the phrase \u0022一夜好眠\u0022 (yīyè hǎomián) meaning \u0022a good night's sleep\u0022 is considered essential for well-being. Additionally, the character \u0022眠\u0022 appears in many idioms, such as \u0022春眠不觉晓\u0022 (chūnmián bù jué xiǎo) from a famous Tang Dynasty poem, which describes the difficulty of waking up after a spring night's sleep.
7. Example Sentence
他最近因为工作压力大而失眠。
He has been suffering from insomnia recently due to work pressure.
8. Memory Tips
The character \u0022眠\u0022 consists of two parts: \u0022目\u0022 (eye) and \u0022民\u0022 (people). You can remember this character by imagining people closing their eyes to sleep. The pronunciation \u0022mián\u0022 sounds similar to \u0022棉\u0022 (mián) meaning \u0022cotton\u0022, which can help you associate it with a soft, comfortable sleep. You can also think of related words like \u0022睡眠\u0022 (sleep) or \u0022失眠\u0022 (insomnia) to reinforce your memory of this character.