寐 mèi — sleep · English

寐

mèi

sleep

At a glance · 寐

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

小篆从宀，未声，本义为卧而熟睡。形声清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

本义为安睡、入睡。

Structure

形声字，从宀（意符，屋下卧），未（wèi）为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinmèi

Radical宀

Strokes12

UnicodeU+5BD0

Character type形声

Theme动作

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English sleep To fall asleep; to sleep.

Français dormir S’endormir ; dormir.

Español dormir Dormir profundamente.

العربية ينام ينام نوماً عميقاً.

Русский уснуть Заснуть, спать.

Common words

寐mèisleep
梦寐mèng mèidream

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