---
title: "Shimian Meaning: 失眠 (shīmián) Means “to be unable to sleep”"
description: "失眠 (shīmián) means “to be unable to sleep; insomnia”. Hear its tones, see what 失 and 眠 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/shimian"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 失眠 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

失眠 shīmián

## to be unable to sleep; insomnia

## Its characters

1. 失 shī to lose
2. 眠 mián to sleep (as in 睡眠)

## In a sentence

我昨晚失眠了，一直睡不着。 I couldn't sleep last night; I just lay awake.

我**失眠**半年了。

From [欢迎光临 · The first night shift](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/the-first-night-shift#library-word-1-3)

[More about 失眠](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%A4%B1%E7%9C%A0)

## More words with 失 or 眠

- [催眠 cuīmián](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/cuimian)
- [丢失 diūshī](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/diushi)
- [流失 liúshī](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/liushi)
- [迷失 míshī](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/mishi)
- [丧失 sàngshī](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/sangshi)
- [失败 shībài](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/shibai)
- [失落 shīluò](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/shiluo)
- [失去 shīqù](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/shiqu)
- [失望 shīwàng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/shiwang)
- [失效 shīxiào](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/shixiao)

## Keep 失眠 for Review

A free account keeps it, and Review brings it back just before you’d forget it.

## Look up another word

## See any word in its sentence

Get a card like this for every word on any page or YouTube subtitle.

[Add to Chrome](https://mandarinthewild.com/go/chrome?from=%2Fmeaning%2Fshimian) [Read in the Library](https://mandarinthewild.com/library)

[All 214 Chinese radicals](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-radicals)

[The best free Chinese listening practice](https://mandarinthewild.com/guides/chinese-listening-practice-resources)