褪黑素
tuìhēisù
Melatonin in Mandarin is 褪黑素 (tuìhēisù).
The term refers to the hormone melatonin.
Meaning: hormone (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The first character 褪 (tuì) means to fade or to recede.
How do you pronounce it?
tuìhēisù
Did you know?
- In Chinese medicine, the concept of sleep is often linked to 心神 (heart spirit). While 褪黑素 is a modern chemical term, people often discuss it alongside traditional ways to 'calm the spirit'.
- The character 素 (sù) in 褪黑素 is used in Mandarin for many chemical elements and compounds, but it originally meant 'plain' or 'white' as in 'vegetarian food'.
- The character 褪 (tuì) is also used to describe the fading of colors in fabric. This creates a linguistic link between the biological 'fade' of darkness and the physical fading of a shirt.
Examples in context
- 我需要买一些褪黑激素。I need to buy some melatonin.
- 这种褪黑素有助于睡眠。Zhè zhǒng tuìhēi sù yǒu zhù yú shuìmián.This kind of melatonin helps with sleep.
- 身体会分泌褪黑素。Shēntǐ huì fēnmì tuìhēi sù.The body secretes melatonin.
- 他在吃褪黑素补充剂。Tā zài chī tuìhēi sù bǔchōng jì.He is taking melatonin supplements.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about insomnia.
- 浩然 Haoran雨婷，你最近怎么总是失眠？Yǔ tíng, nǐ zuì jìn zěn me zǒng shì shī mián?Yuting, why have you been having insomnia lately?
- 雨婷 Yuting压力太大了，我睡不着。Yā lì tài dà le, wǒ shuì bù zháo.The stress is too much, I can't fall asleep.
- 浩然 Haoran你要不要试试褪黑素？Nǐ yào bù yào shì shì tuì hēi sù?Do you want to try melatonin?
- 雨婷 Yuting好，我明天去买一些。Hǎo, wǒ míng tiān qù mǎi yī xiē.Okay, I will go buy some tomorrow.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “melatonin” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
