安眠药

• Pinyin: ān mián yào
• Hanzi breakdown: 安 = peace; 眠 = 目 (eye) + 民 (people, phonetic), meaning sleep; 药 = medicine

Meaning

Sleeping pills; sleep medication.

Refers to medication used to treat insomnia or induce sleep. In Chinese contexts, often associated with concerns about dependency or dramatic scenarios in media.

Examples

1. 医生给她开了一些安眠药，帮助改善睡眠。 The doctor prescribed some sleeping pills to help improve her sleep.
2. 长期服用安眠药可能会产生依赖性。 Long-term use of sleeping pills may lead to dependency.
3. 他失眠太严重了，不吃安眠药根本睡不着。 His insomnia is so severe that he can't sleep at all without sleeping pills.

Usage Guide

Context: medical, everyday

Tone: informative

Do Say

• 安眠药要在医生指导下服用。(Sleeping pills should be taken under a doctor's guidance.)
• 她靠安眠药才能入睡。(She can only fall asleep with sleeping pills.)

Don't Say

• 开玩笑说要吃很多安眠药 (Don't joke about taking lots of sleeping pills — it can sound like a reference to self-harm)

Origin & History

安眠 (peaceful sleep) + 药 (medicine). Together: medicine for peaceful sleep.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal