Which one should you use?
While 梦 refers to the phenomenon of dreaming while asleep, the term 梦想 is used for aspirations or long-term life goals. If you want to specify the content of what was seen, such as 'dreaming of a person', use the verb 梦见.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For formal contexts involving aspirations or goals, different words may be more appropriate: 梦想 emphasizes long-term dreams, while 理想 connotes lofty ideals and 志向 denotes aims related to career or personal development. 心愿 is a formal way to express dreams or hopes specifically as wishes or desires. For the act of dreaming, 做梦 is standard, whereas 发梦 is a colloquial form that can sometimes mean dreaming or even talking nonsense.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The term 发梦 is used in certain contexts, particularly in Cantonese-influenced Mandarin or informal speech, to mean dreaming or talking nonsense.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the act of dreaming while asleep, use the verb-object construction 做梦 rather than using the noun 梦 alone.
How do you pronounce it?
mèng
Did you know?
- The philosophical concept of 庄周梦蝶 (Zhuangzhou dreaming of a butterfly) is a famous literary reference that questions whether the dreamer is a human dreaming he is a butterfly or a butterfly dreaming he is human.
- Chinese has a specific term 噩梦 (è mèng) for nightmares, where the first character 噩 historically refers to a death-related omen or a frightening sound.
- In Chinese, the phrase 做梦 (to dream) can be used as a sarcastic way to tell someone they are delusional or that their hopes are unrealistic, similar to saying 'in your dreams' in English.
Examples in context
- 我活在梦里。I'm living the dream.The first sentence uses 梦 to describe living a dream.Tatoeba #4844712 by pig8322, translation #4843217 by ravas
- 我会梦到你的。I'll dream about you.The second sentence uses 梦 to describe dreaming about someone.Tatoeba #7771848 by jiangche, translation #1890892 by CK
- 只是一场梦而已。It's just a dream.The third sentence uses 梦 to state that something is just a dream.Tatoeba #505807 by GlossaMatik, translation #505809 by Alkrasnov
- 41 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are chatting in a cafe about their sleep.
- 梓涵 Zihan你昨晚睡得好吗？Nǐ zuówǎn shuì de hǎo ma?Did you sleep well last night?
- 伟 Wei不太好，我做了一个噩梦。Bù tài hǎo, wǒ zuòle yīgè èmèng.Not really, I had a nightmare.
- 梓涵 Zihan是关于什么的梦？Shì guānyú shénme de mèng?What was the dream about?
- 伟 Wei是一个很奇怪的梦。Shì yīgè hěn qíguài de mèng.It was a very strange dream.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
