眠 mián — sleep · English

眠

mián

sleep

At a glance · 眠

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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.

小篆从目，民声，本义为闭目而眠。形声清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

本义为合眼睡觉。

Structure

形声字，从目（意符，闭目），民（mín）为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinmián

Radical目

Strokes10

UnicodeU+7720

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 sleep; to close the eyes.

Français dormir Dormir ; fermer les yeux.

Español dormir Dormir ; cerrar los ojos.

العربية ينام ينام؛ يغمض عينيه.

Русский спать Спать; смыкать глаза.

Common words

睡眠shuì miánsleep
眠miánsleep

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