HSK · Level 62
105 words
Chinese word
休眠
Pronunciation
Pinyinxiū mián
Meaning
- verbhibernate
Example
为了省电，电脑会休眠。wèi le shěng diàn diàn nǎo huì xiū mián
To save power, the computer will hibernate.
More examples
冬天里，很多动物会休眠来节省能量。dōng tiān lǐ hěn duō dòng wù huì xiū mián lái jié shěng néng liàng
In winter, many animals hibernate to save energy.
Core concept
A temporary inactive state keeps essential information ready for a later return.
Common phrases
自动休眠zì dòng xiū mián
hibernate automatically
开始休眠kāi shǐ xiū mián
start hibernating
退出休眠tuì chū xiū mián
exit hibernation
Similar words
待机dài jī: Remaining partly active with low power use and a quick response to commands.
暂停zàn tíng: Pausing a task or process until the needed conditions allow work to continue.
挂起guà qǐ: Preserving the current running state while interrupting processing for later restart.
Definition in Chinese
暂时停止活动但保留必要信息或状态，以便日后唤醒或恢复功能。zàn shí tíng zhǐ huó dòng dàn bǎo liú bì yào xìn xī huò zhuàng tài yǐ biàn rì hòu huàn xǐng huò huī fù gōng néng
Word origin
The pairing of 休 (xiū, "rest") and 眠 (mián, "sleep") turns ordinary rest into the idea of a sustained inactive state, making the word natural for technology and biology.
Usage tips
- English speakers may associate hibernation mainly with animals, but Chinese also uses 休眠 (xiūmián, "hibernate") for computers and other systems, where the preserved state matters.