Chinese word

睡前

Pronunciation

Pinyinshuì qián

Meaning

  • adverbbefore bed

Example

睡前记得刷牙。shuì qián jì de shuā yá

Remember to brush your teeth before bed.

Illustration for 睡前 (before bed)

More examples

我尽量在睡前不看手机。wǒ jǐn liàng zài shuì qián bú kàn shǒu jī

I try not to look at my phone before bed.

Core concept

A time marker for the moment or period just before sleep begins.

Common phrases

  • 睡前准备shuì qián zhǔn bèi

    prepare before bed

  • 睡前看手机shuì qián kàn shǒu jī

    look at one's phone before bed

  • 睡前喝牛奶shuì qián hē niú nǎi

    drink milk before bed

Similar words

睡觉前shuì jiào qián: Shows that an activity happens before going to sleep.
入睡前rù shuì qián: Shows that an activity happens just before falling asleep.

Definition in Chinese

在入睡之前的时间，通常作副词或时间状语使用。zài rù shuì zhī qián de shí jiān tōng cháng zuò fù cí huò shí jiān zhuàng yǔ shǐ yòng

Word origin

The compound 睡前 (shuìqián, "before sleep") joins 睡 (shuì, "sleep") and 前 (qián, "before"), so its meaning follows directly from the order of its two parts.

Usage tips

  • Chinese often places a time expression at the beginning of a sentence, so this word helps frame an activity by stating when it happens before naming the activity.

Other meanings

  • before falling asleepadverb

Opposites

  • 起床后qǐ chuáng hòuafter waking upadverb

Related words

Word lists with this word