做梦

• Pinyin: zuò mèng
• Hanzi breakdown: 做 = 亻(person) + 故 (reason/cause, phonetic), to do or make; 梦 = 夕 (evening) + 林 (forest) + 冖 (cover), a dream

Meaning

To dream; to have a dream. Both literally (dreaming while asleep) and figuratively (daydreaming or having unrealistic hopes).

In its literal sense, 做梦 refers to dreaming during sleep (我昨晚做了一个奇怪的梦). In its figurative sense, it means to entertain unrealistic fantasies or wishful thinking, often used dismissively (你在做梦吧 'you must be dreaming'). The figurative usage is very common in colloquial speech.

Examples

1. 他昨晚做梦梦到了去国外旅行，醒来心情很好。 He dreamed about travelling abroad last night and woke up in a great mood.
2. 你以为他会道歉？你在做梦吧！ You think he's going to apologise? You must be dreaming!
3. 从小她就做梦想成为一名宇航员，这个梦想一直没有改变。 Since childhood she has dreamed of becoming an astronaut, and that dream has never changed.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, spoken, figurative

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 我昨晚做了一个很奇怪的梦。(I had a very strange dream last night.)
• 你以为钱会从天上掉下来？别做梦了！(You think money is going to fall from the sky? Stop dreaming!)

Don't Say

• 用'做梦'在正式场合表达理想或志向 (Don't use 做梦 in formal contexts to describe aspirations — use 梦想 or 志向 instead, as 做梦 can sound dismissive)

Origin & History

Compound of 做 (to do, to engage in) and 梦 (dream). The combination treats dreaming as an activity one 'does', reflecting how classical Chinese conceived of dreams as experiences one undergoes.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal