拼音
- shuì (fourth tone, falling)
to sleep; to lie down to sleep
字形拆解
Ideographic description
⿰目垂The sequence reads left to right and describes how the parts are arranged.
- 目meaning partThe eye, stood upright: sleep is read off the eye, not the body.
- 垂sound partno entry yet垂 chuí "to hang down" — the eyelids drooping. It gives the sound and the sense at once.
Mnemonic
An eye 目 with 垂 "hanging down" beside it: the lids coming down. The ordinary word is 睡觉, and it is a verb plus its object, which is what makes the grammar awkward for beginners — "I slept for eight hours" is 我睡了八个小时的觉, with the duration wedged in the middle. 睡着 zhāo is to fall asleep; 睡不着 is to lie awake.
A memory aid written by HSK Guide editors. It is not an etymology and does not describe the historical origin of the character.
部首 目 — other characters
- 看kàn (fourth tone, falling) kān (first tone, high and level)to look at, to watch, to read; to consider, to regard; to visit; to consult (a doctor); (kān) to look after, to keep watch over
- 目mù (fourth tone, falling)eye; an item or entry in a list (目录 a table of contents)
- 眼yǎn (third tone, dipping)eye; a look, a glance; a small hole or aperture; measure word for wells and springs