醒来
xǐnglái
The English verb 'wake' translates to Chinese as 醒来 (xǐnglái).
醒来 is used to describe the act of stopping sleeping. In more profound, philosophical or metaphorical contexts, the term 觉醒 is used instead.
Meaning: to stop sleeping (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The term consists of 醒 (xǐng), which means to wake or to be sober and 来 (lái), a directional complement meaning 'to come'.
Which one should you use?
While 醒来 emphasizes the process or the moment of waking up, the single syllable 醒 is more commonly used to describe the state of being awake or to indicate that someone has regained consciousness. Additionally, in many natural spoken contexts, the directional complement 来 is often dropped, leaving 醒了 to mean 'has woken up'.
How do you pronounce it?
xǐnglái
Did you know?
- In Chinese, the act of waking someone else up uses a different word, 叫醒. This literally translates to 'calling someone awake', reflecting the common practice of using a voice to wake others.
- The character 醒 (xǐng) does not just mean 'to wake' but also means 'to be sober' after drinking alcohol. If you tell a Chinese person you are 'xǐng' (醒), they might think you are no longer drunk rather than just awake from sleep.
- While 醒来 is for sleep, the related term 觉醒 is frequently used to describe 'class consciousness' or a societal awakening in political contexts.
Examples in context
- 花了你一段时间才醒来。Took you a while to wake up.This sentence shows the time it took for someone to use 醒来.Tatoeba #12615468 by Enzo, translation #12615444 by urro
- 再不早点睡觉，明天醒来就会有黑眼圈。If you go to bed late again, tomorrow you'll wake up with shadows under your eyes.This sentence uses 醒来 to describe a consequence of waking up after a late night.Tatoeba #2490098 by fenfang557, translation #2497220 by gone2bacolod
- 他每天早晨六点醒来。He wakes up every morning at six o'clock.
- 他昨天早上被室友叫醒了。He was woken up by his roommate yesterday morning.
- 他经历了一次觉醒的旅程。He went through a journey of awakening.
- 我今天早晨醒过来就看到了美丽的日出。I woke up this morning and saw the beautiful sunrise.
- 他突然醒来了。Tā tūrán xǐnglái le.He suddenly woke up.
Example conversation
A husband asks his wife if she is awake in the morning.
- 伟 Wei你醒来了吗？Nǐ xǐnglái le ma?Are you awake?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我醒来了，但是很累。Wǒ xǐnglái le, dànshì hěn lèi.I'm awake, but I'm very tired.
- 伟 Wei那再睡一会儿吧。Nà zài shuì yīhuìr ba.Then sleep a little longer.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen不用了，我得起床了。Bùyòng le, wǒ děi qǐchuáng le.No need, I have to get up.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
