打瞌睡 (dǎ kē shuì) — to doze off; to nod off | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A colloquial verb meaning 'to doze off / nod off', usually unintentionally for a moment. Note the measure word: one brief nap is 打了一个瞌睡.

verb

to doze offto nod off

Examples

打瞌睡，。
Shàng kè shí bú yào dǎ kē shuì, rèn zhēn tīng jiǎng.
Don't doze off in class; listen carefully.
，。
Tā zuó wǎn méi shuì hǎo, jīn tiān kāi huì shí dǎ le yí gè kē shuì.
He didn't sleep well last night, so he dozed off once during today's meeting.
，。
Tài kùn le, wǒ zuò zài shā fā shàng kàn diàn shì jiù dǎ qǐ kē shuì lái le.
I was so sleepy that I started dozing off while sitting on the sofa watching TV.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

瞌睡drowsy sleep

瞌kēdrowsy睡shuìsleep

偏正Modifier + head

打 'do' plus 瞌睡 'drowsy sleep' gives the idea of nodding off.

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.

扌丁打

Meaning part形符xíngfú

扌Written in full as手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

丁

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

打 uses 扌, a hand, to show an action done with the hand, and 丁 to give the sound.

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

目盍瞌

Meaning part形符xíngfú

目目mùeye

Sound part声符shēngfú

盍

盍hé瞌

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

瞌 combines 目, an eye, with 盍, which gives the sound.

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

目垂睡

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.

Appears in

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