寝食 (qǐn shí) — sleeping and eating; (by extension) daily life, everyday life

Definition

A literary noun pairing 'sleep and eating' to mean 'daily life'. Almost always appears as a fixed phrase in set expressions like 寝食不安 ('worried, unable to eat or sleep') — not used in everyday speech.

noun
sleeping and eating(by extension) daily lifeeveryday life

Examples

  • ，寝食，。
    Tā zì cóng kǎo shàng dà xué hòu, qǐn shí shí fēn guī lǜ, měi tiān dōu àn shí zuò xī.
    Since he entered university, his sleeping and eating have been very regular; he follows a fixed schedule every day.
  • 寝食，。
    Zhè bù xiǎo shuō miáo xiě le pǔ tōng bǎi xìng de qǐn shí rì cháng, dú lái shí fēn qīn qiè.
    This novel depicts the daily life of ordinary people; it feels very familiar to read.
  • ，寝食，。
    Zuì jìn gōng zuò tài máng, tā qǐn shí bù níng, zhěng gè rén dōu hěn pí bèi.
    Lately work has been too busy; he's unsettled in sleep and eating, and overall very tired.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

寝qǐnsleep
食shíeat

寝 gives sleep and 食 gives eating; together they name daily life.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 寢; 寝 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀miánroof
爿爿pánbed
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠬶
𠬶𠬶寢qǐn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 寢 has a 宀 roof and a 爿 bed, with a 𠬶 broom-and-hand part that gives the sound; the simplified 寝 is a later shorthand.

Open 寝 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 亼亼jímouth
  • 皀皀jía bowl of rice on a stand

The form behind 食 shows 亼, a mouth, together with 皀, a bowl of rice on a stand. In modern 食, the bowl part has changed shape.

Open 食 →

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