Sleep & Dreams in Chinese 睡眠
shuìmián
Sleep / to dream in Chinese are 睡觉 / 做梦 (shuì jiào / zuò mèng).
Also searched for as: sleep, dream, good night, tired.
How well do you sleep? 15 essential sleep & dreams words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The everyday word for sleep in Chinese is 睡觉 (shuì jiào), to sleep or go to bed, while 睡眠 (shuì mián) is the noun you'll see in health advice. These words cover the whole night, from feeling 困 (kùn), sleepy, to 做梦 (zuò mèng), dreaming, and finally waking up, 醒 (xǐng). You'll also meet 午睡 (wǔ shuì), the after-lunch nap many people in China take, and the goodnight wish 做个好梦 (zuò ge hǎo mèng), sweet dreams.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 睡觉 | shuì jiào | to sleep; to go to bed |
| 睡着 | shuì zháo | to fall asleep |
| 失眠 | shī mián | insomnia |
| 做梦 | zuò mèng | to dream |
| 噩梦 | è mèng | nightmare |
| 打呼噜 | dǎ hū lu | to snore |
| 午睡 | wǔ shuì | afternoon nap |
| 困 | kùn | sleepy |
| 打哈欠 | dǎ hā qian | to yawn |
| 早起 | zǎo qǐ | to get up early |
| 睡眠 | shuì mián | sleep (noun) |
| 醒 | xǐng | to wake up |
| 叫醒 | jiào xǐng | to wake someone up |
| 睡得好 | shuì de hǎo | to sleep well |
| 做个好梦 | zuò ge hǎo mèng | sweet dreams |
Usage tips
- 睡觉 (shuì jiào) is a verb plus object, so details go in the middle: 睡了一个好觉 (shuì le yī ge hǎo jiào), had a good night's sleep, and 睡午觉 (shuì wǔ jiào), to have a nap.
- 睡觉 is going to bed, while 睡着 (shuì zháo) is actually falling asleep: 我十一点睡觉，一点才睡着 means you went to bed at eleven but didn't drop off until one. Note 着 is read zháo here.
- 困 (kùn) means sleepy, while 累 (lèi) means tired from effort: after a long run you're 累, and in a dull afternoon meeting you're 困.
Common mistakes
- 'I had a dream' is 我做了一个梦 (wǒ zuò le yī ge mèng); learners often say 我有一个梦, which sounds like 'I have a dream' in the sense of an ambition.
- 醒 (xǐng) is waking up yourself; waking someone else is 叫醒 (jiào xǐng), so say 明天叫醒我 (míng tiān jiào xǐng wǒ), not 醒我.
Mini dialogue
- A你怎么一直打哈欠？昨晚睡得好吗？Nǐ zěn me yī zhí dǎ hā qian? Zuó wǎn shuì de hǎo ma?Why do you keep yawning? Did you sleep well last night?
- B不好，我室友打呼噜，我两点才睡着。Bù hǎo, wǒ shì yǒu dǎ hū lu, wǒ liǎng diǎn cái shuì zháo.Not really, my flatmate snores and I didn't get to sleep until two.
- A太惨了。那你中午午睡一下吧。Tài cǎn le. Nà nǐ zhōng wǔ wǔ shuì yī xià ba.That's rough. Have a nap at lunchtime then.
- B好主意，我现在好困啊。Hǎo zhǔ yi, wǒ xiàn zài hǎo kùn a.Good idea, I'm so sleepy right now.
Example sentences
- 你几点睡觉？What time do you go to bed?
- 我看电视的时候睡着了。I fell asleep watching TV.
- 最近我经常失眠。I've been having insomnia lately.
- 我昨晚做了一个奇怪的梦。I had a strange dream last night.
- 我做了一个噩梦。I had a nightmare.
- 他打呼噜很响。He snores loudly.
- 中国人喜欢午睡。Chinese people like an afternoon nap.
- 我好困啊。I'm so sleepy.
- 他一直在打哈欠。He keeps yawning.
- 我不喜欢早起。I don't like getting up early.
- 睡眠对健康很重要。Sleep is important for your health.
- 我半夜醒了。I woke up in the middle of the night.
- 明天六点叫醒我。Wake me up at six tomorrow.
- 你昨晚睡得好吗？Did you sleep well last night?
- 晚安，做个好梦！Good night, sweet dreams!
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Sleep & dreams speaking island has 8 everyday questions about sleep & dreams to prepare your own answers to.