Chinese word

安眠药

Pronunciation

Pinyinān mián yào

Meaning

  • nounsleeping pill

Example

最近压力大，他开始吃安眠药。zuì jìn yā lì dà tā kāi shǐ chī ān mián yào

He has been under a lot of stress lately and has started taking sleeping pills.

Illustration for 安眠药 (sleeping pill)

More examples

不要把安眠药和酒精一起服用。bú yào bǎ ān mián yào hé jiǔ jīng yì qǐ fú yòng

Do not take sleeping pills with alcohol.

Core concept

A medicine that quiets the body and mind so sleep can begin.

Common phrases

  • 吃安眠药chī ān mián yào

    take sleeping pills

  • 服用安眠药fú yòng ān mián yào

    take sleeping pills

  • 长期服用安眠药cháng qī fú yòng ān mián yào

    take sleeping pills long-term

Similar words

催眠药cuī mián yào: A medicine that brings on sleep directly, often within a short time.
镇静剂zhèn jìng jì: A medicine that reduces mental or bodily tension and creates a relaxed state.

Definition in Chinese

指用于诱导睡眠或缓解失眠症状的药物，主要以镇静或催眠为作用，多在短期内使用并需注意剂量。zhǐ yòng yú yòu dǎo shuì mián huò huán jiě shī mián zhèng zhuàng de yào wù zhǔ yào yǐ zhèn jìng huò cuī mián wèi zuò yòng duō zài duǎn qī nèi shǐ yòng bìng xū zhù yì jì liàng

Word origin

安 (ān, "peaceful") + 眠 (mián, "sleep") + 药 (yào, "medicine") forms a compound for medicine that makes sleep easier.

Usage tips

  • Chinese commonly uses 吃 (chī, "eat or take") with this word for taking medicine, even though English usually uses take rather than eat.

Other meanings

  • sedativenoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 安眠剂ān mián jìsleep aidnoun

Word lists with this word