How to Write 眠 (mián) — Meaning “sleep; dormancy”

Imagine the left side 目 as an eye closing for sleep, and the right side 民 as 'people' who need rest. You can think: "When people (民) close their eyes (目), they sleep (眠)." The pinyin 'mián' sounds like 'me-an' — picture yourself saying "Me, I need an eye-shut to sleep."

The left radical 目 must be narrow and tall, with the bottom horizontal line slightly longer than the top ones. On the right, 民 starts with a horizontal stroke that connects to a downward hook — be careful not to confuse it with the similar shape in 良. Total 10 strokes: first write 目, then 民, making sure the right part does not extend too low or high.

眠 means 'sleep' (eye closed), while 盲 (máng) means 'blind' — with 亡 (death) above 目, suggesting a dead eye. 盱 (xū) means 'to stare' or 'to look upward,' combining 目 with 于. Unlike 眠, which emphasizes a resting eye, 盲 indicates inability to see, and 盱 describes an open upward gaze. All share the 目 radical but differ in the right component and meaning.

眠 appears in common words like 睡眠 (shuìmián, sleep), 失眠 (shīmián, insomnia), and 冬眠 (dōngmián, hibernation for animals). In Chinese culture, a good night's sleep (睡眠好) is associated with health and balance, reflecting traditional ideas of yin and yang. The character is also used poetically to describe stillness, as in 'the city never sleeps' (不眠之城).

Common words containing 眠 include: 睡眠 (shuì mián) — Sleep; slumber.; 失眠 (shī mián) — insomnia / to lose sleep; 冬眠 (dōng mián) — Hibernation.