清醒

• Pinyin: qīng xǐng
• Hanzi breakdown: 清 = 氵(water) + 青 (blue/green) — clear like water; 醒 = 酉 (wine vessel) + 星 (star) — waking from drink, becoming sober

Meaning

Clear-headed; sober; to regain consciousness. Describes a state of mental clarity, or the act of waking up or becoming alert.

As an adjective, it means clear-headed and lucid (头脑清醒, a clear mind; 保持清醒, stay alert). As a verb, it means to come to or regain consciousness after sleep, fainting, or intoxication. Used figuratively to mean seeing things clearly without being deceived (清醒地认识到, clearly realise). Common in everyday, medical, and reflective contexts.

Examples

1. 早上跑步能让我一整天都保持清醒。 Running in the morning keeps me alert all day.
2. 病人做完手术以后终于清醒过来了。 The patient finally regained consciousness after the operation.
3. 在做重要决定之前，一定要保持头脑清醒。 Before making an important decision, you must keep a clear head.

Usage Guide

Context: health, decision-making, everyday

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 喝杯咖啡让自己清醒一下。(Have a cup of coffee to wake yourself up.)
• 你要清醒地面对现实。(You need to face reality with a clear head.)

Don't Say

• 这道数学题很清醒 (Don't use 清醒 to describe problems or objects — it describes a person's mental state; say 这道题很清楚 if you mean the problem is clear)

Origin & History

A compound of 清 (clear, pure) and 醒 (awake, alert), together meaning 'clear and awake' — a lucid, alert state of mind.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal