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安睡 (ān shuì) — to sleep peacefully; to sleep well

Definition

Literary/written verb meaning 'to sleep peacefully' — the 安 emphasizes undisturbed calm, not just being asleep. More formal than everyday 睡觉.

verb
to sleep peacefullyto sleep well

Examples

  • 安睡。
    Yīng ér zài mā ma de huái bào lǐ ān shuì.
    The baby sleeps peacefully in its mother's arms.
  • 安睡。
    Xī wàng nǐ néng yí yè ān shuì dào tiān liàng.
    I hope you can sleep well all night until dawn.
  • ，安睡。
    Zhè ge fáng jiān hěn ān jìng, shì hé ān shuì.
    This room is very quiet, suitable for sleeping well.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

安ānpeacefully
睡shuìsleep

安 gives peacefulness, and 睡 gives sleeping, so the word means to sleep well.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ安ān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 安, 宀 sits above a seated 女 on a cushion; 宀 is the meaning part, 女 is the sound part, and the character originally meant sitting at ease.

Open 安 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
目目mùeye
Sound part声符shēngfú
垂
垂chuí睡shuì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

睡 combines 目, an eye, with 垂, which gives its sound.

Open 睡 →
Appears in
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