睡
shuì
Sleep isn't lying down — it's the light going out
The picture Eyelids lower, the light in the head dims out, and the body settles. 睡 is the inner light going out; 起 is that light coming back on and the body rising.
Where the picture shows up in 睡
-
the light is already out
孩子已经睡了。
háizi yǐjīng shuì le
The kid is already asleep.
The bedroom door eases open: under the blanket, the child's eyes are already shut
-
it flickered all night
我昨晚没睡好。
wǒ zuówǎn méi shuì hǎo
I didn't sleep well last night.
Staring at the ceiling, eyes closing and opening again and again, red by morning
-
it won't go out
太吵了，我睡不着。
tài chǎo le, wǒ shuì bu zháo
It's too loud — I can't get to sleep.
An ear pressed into the pillow while noise next door keeps pulling the eyes open
-
down for a short while
中午睡一会儿吧。
zhōngwǔ shuì yíhuìr ba
Get a little sleep at lunchtime.
After lunch, leaning back in the chair with an arm for a pillow for ten minutes
-
it stayed out too long
我睡过头，迟到了。
wǒ shuì guòtóu, chídào le
I overslept and was late.
The alarm is long past, sun on the face, and a bolt upright at the sight of the clock
All of it in one picture
睡 is one picture: the light inside going out. Already out, and the child is asleep; flickering on and off all night, and you slept badly. Noise keeps switching it back on, so you can't get to sleep; drop it for ten minutes at midday and it becomes a nap. Leave it out past the hour it was supposed to come back on and it becomes oversleeping.