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催眠 (cuī mián) — to hypnotize, to put under hypnosis

Definition

Transitive verb meaning 'to hypnotize' — used for putting a person (or animal) into hypnosis, often by a doctor or for relaxation. Pairs with 被 in the passive (被催眠).

verb
to hypnotizeto put under hypnosis

Examples

  • 催眠。
    Tā bèi yī shēng cuī mián le.
    She was hypnotized by the doctor.
  • 催眠。
    Yī shēng zhèng zài cuī mián bìng rén.
    The doctor is hypnotizing the patient.
  • 催眠。
    Tā shì zhe cuī mián zì jǐ lái fàng sōng.
    He tries to hypnotize himself to relax.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

催cuīinduce
眠miánsleep

催 'induce' and 眠 'sleep' build the idea of putting someone into a sleep-like state.

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
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
崔
崔cuī催cuī
Same sound today

催 combines 亻, the person part, with 崔, which gives the sound.

Open 催 →

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

眠 uses 目 (eye) to show the idea of closing the eyes, with 民 giving the sound.

Open 眠 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Medicine & Treatment

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