瞌睡 (kē shuì) — (noun) nap, doze; (verb) to doze off, to nod of… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literally 'sleepy-drowsy', 瞌睡 names the state of dozing or nodding off, often while sitting up. As a verb (打瞌睡) it means to nap or nod off; as a noun (打瞌睡 / 犯瞌睡) it refers to the sleepy doze itself.

noun

napdoze

verb

to doze offto nod off (while sitting)

Examples

瞌睡。
Tā zuò zài shā fā shàng dǎ le yí gè kē shuì.
He took a nap on the sofa.
，瞌睡。
Wǒ zuó wǎn méi shuì hǎo, jīn tiān shàng kè shí lǎo kē shuì.
I didn't sleep well last night, so I kept dozing off in class today.
瞌睡。
Kāi huì de shí hou yǒu rén rěn bú zhù kē shuì le.
During the meeting, someone couldn't help but doze off.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

瞌kēdoze

瞌 refers to dozing and 睡 to sleeping; together they describe nodding off or a nap.

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.

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

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.