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to sleep

shuì
13 strokes · 目 (eye radical) + 垂 (to droop) — eyelids drooping · HSK 1

Where 睡 comes from

睡 is anatomy in two parts: an eye 目 beside 垂 (to droop, hang down). Drooping eyes — sleep, written exactly as it feels at 11 pm over your homework.

睡 in Chinese culture

睡 pairs with 觉 in 睡觉 (to sleep), the verb every learner needs by day two. 午睡, the noon nap, is a protected institution — Chinese schools and offices dim lights after lunch, and 睡懒觉 (sleeping in) is the weekend's sacred right. The character is honest: no metaphor, just eyelids giving up.

Example

睡觉 shuìjiào — to sleep

我每天十一点睡觉。
Wǒ měitiān shíyī diǎn shuìjiào.
I go to bed at eleven every day.

How to remember it

Eyes 目 drooping 垂 — SLEEP.

午睡 (the after-lunch nap) is written into many Chinese school schedules — desks double as pillows nationwide.

Same sound, different tones

2nd shuí
who
3rd shuǐ
water
4th shuì
to sleep

Words unlocked by 睡

睡觉 shuìjiào
to sleep
午睡 wǔshuì
noon nap
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