Sentence analysis: 你们有什么好办法能让你们的宝宝一觉睡到大天亮？

[anonymoose]

I'm just wondering about the structure of the phrase 一觉睡到大天亮.

Is this a set phrase, or is it an example of a widely applicable structure?

What is the role of 觉 in this sentence? Is it functioning as a measure word, or simply just an object?

I'm aware of phrases like 一睡觉就睡好几天, or perhaps more commonly 一睡就睡好几天, which seem to be similar, and have a fixed pattern 一+verb+就+extent.

Is the phrase quoted above just an abbreviation of this pattern?

[semantic nuance]

一觉睡到大天亮.

睡一覺睡到大天亮. You may say 睡覺睡到大天亮 or 一覺(睡)到大天亮.

Ex: 妳這麼懶散 ，天天一覺睡到曬屁股。

妳這麼懶散，天天睡覺睡到太陽曬屁股。

[pancake]

Now, my Chinese is quite rubbish so this may well be perfectly wrong. But I am under the impression that this works simply because 睡觉 is a 离合词. So it's a construction similar to 一饭吃, 一间房，等等. Doubtlessly, someone who actually know what they're talking about will come along soon. ;)

[creamyhorror]

semantic nuance pretty much has it covered...

[object/topic] [verb] [adverbial]

[一觉] [睡] [到大天亮]

I'll admit it the "一" does hang the ring of idiom to it. Also, I think 一觉 implies an uninterrupted stretch (no middle-of-the-night awakenings).

[anonymoose]

Thanks, semantic nuance and creamy horror (and pancake, although I don't know what you're trying to say).

So is 觉 functioning like a (verbal) measure word for 睡 then? Because if the topic were 一觉, where 觉 is a noun, then shouldn't there be a measure word before it?

[semantic nuance]

I don't know about Chinese grammar, but we say 睡一(個) 覺 (Have a sleep, literally). So I guess 一個 is the measure word for 覺.

[skylee]

Because if the topic were 一觉, where 觉 is a noun, then shouldn't there be a measure word before it?

This is relevant -> http://www.kzxy.com.cn/Article/ArticleShow.asp?ArticleID=9619&Page=2

离合词的扩展形式有其符合语法规范的一面，也有其偏离语法规范的一面。比如“见面”和“睡觉”，既能说：“见过一次面”和“睡了一个觉”，也能省略量词，直接说：“见过一面”和“睡了一觉”。类似的还有“吵一架”、“打一仗”、“鞠一躬”等。在实际语言中，后者可能运用更广泛。有些情况下甚至不能使用 量词，如：“好容易见到他一面”和“一觉睡到天亮”。

[Kenny同志]

有没有什么好方法让宝宝一觉睡到大天亮？

[rezaf]

I think this sentence is similar: 电视剧看到第几集了？

[anonymoose]

Thanks for all the tips.

So, would I be correct in saying that

他们俩一架吵到气都喘不上了

is acceptable, whereas

她一歌唱到嗓子哑了

is not?

[xiaocai]

I think so. The first one is not one hundred per cent natural but acceptable to me, but the second one just doesn't sound right.

[rezaf]

but it's possible to say 那首歌他唱到嗓子哑了。

so maybe 架 and 觉 are different as they have to come with 睡 and 吵 to be used in that meaning

(just guessing)

[semantic nuance]

additional example of this pattern: 他一狀告到法院去。