夜不能寐 (yè bú) — unable to sleep at night (due to worry, anxiety, or excitement)
Definition
A literary four-character idiom meaning 'cannot sleep at night', often due to worry, anxiety, or strong emotion. Far more formal and written than the everyday 睡不着 (shuì bù zháo).
verb
unable to sleep at night (due to worry, anxiety, or excitement)
Examples
- ，夜不能寐。Tā zuì jìn yā lì hěn dà, cháng cháng yè bú.He's been under a lot of pressure lately, often unable to sleep at night.
- ，夜不能寐。Tā yīn wèi kǎo shì de shì qing, yǐ jīng lián xù jǐ tiān yè bú le.Because of the exam, she's been unable to sleep at night for several days straight.
- ，夜不能寐。Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi, tā jī dòng dé yè bú.Hearing the news, he was so excited that he couldn't sleep at night.
Appears in
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