not sleep a wink all night; lie awake
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesidiom
to not sleep a wink; to lie awake all night
literaryUsed to describe a state of staying awake through the night, often due to worry, stress, excitement, or illness. It's a vivid, figurative expression meaning 'eyelashes never meet' (eyes never close).
Mǔ母
qīn亲
bìng病
zhòng重
，
tā他
yōu忧
xīn心
rú如
fén焚
，
lián连
rì日
lái来
mù目
bù不
jiāo交
jié睫
。
His mother was critically ill, and he was so worried that he hadn't slept a wink for days.
Míng明
tiān天
jiù就
yào要
kǎo考
shì试
，
tā他
jǐn紧
zhāng张
de得
chè彻
yè夜
mù目
bù不
jiāo交
jié睫
。
He was so nervous about the exam tomorrow that he lay awake the whole night.
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Zhàn战
shì士
men们
shǒu守
wèi卫
biān边
jiāng疆
，
cháng常
cháng常
shì是
mù目
bù不
jiāo交
jié睫
。
The soldiers guarding the border often stay awake through the night.
Tā他
yī一
xiǎng想
dào到
nà那
jiàn件
jí棘
shǒu手
de的
shì事
，
biàn便
zhǎn辗
zhuǎn转
fǎn反
cè侧
，
mù目
bù不
jiāo交
jié睫
。
Whenever he thought of that thorny issue, he would toss and turn, unable to sleep a wink.