Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 醒 | xǐng |
| 醒來 / 醒来 | xǐnglái |
醒 refers to the physiological act of becoming awake. It can mean both to wake up from sleep or to become sober from a state of intoxication. If you want to describe the daily routine of actually getting out of bed, the term 起床 is more commonly used. For an informal way to tell someone to get out of bed, you can say 起床啦.
What does it mean word for word?
In the form 醒來 / 醒来, the character 來 literally means 'to come'. It acts as a directional complement, indicating that the state of being awake is coming toward the subject.
Which one should you use?
The single character 醒 is the base form. While 醒 is the standard way to refer to the act of waking, using it in a casual context like 醒醒 provides a shorter, more informal way to say 'wake up'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that someone has already woken up and the action is completed, you can add the particle 了 after 醒, resulting in 醒了.
How do you pronounce it?
xǐng
Did you know?
- The character 醒 is composed of the radical for 'alcohol' (酉). This is because, historically, the concept of waking up was linguistically linked to the feeling of becoming clear-headed after the fog of intoxication lifts.
- The word 醒 is used metaphorically to mean 'to realize the truth' or 'to snap out of a delusion'.
- Repeating the character as 醒醒 can be used to shake someone who is fainting or unconscious to bring them back.
Examples in context
- 你必須醒醒。You've got to wake up.This sentence uses 醒 to urge someone to wake up.Tatoeba #6109312 by verdastelo9604, translation #2546848 by CK
- 花了你一段时间才醒来。Took you a while to wake up.This sentence uses 醒 to describe the time it took for someone to wake up.Tatoeba #12615468 by Enzo, translation #12615444 by urro
- 今天我本打算在圖書館學習，但到12點左右才醒。I was going to study in the library today, but I didn't wake up until about twelve.This sentence uses 醒 to describe the time someone woke up during the day.Tatoeba #5574690 by verdastelo9604, translation #12349738 by sundown
- 该醒来了，现在是早晨。 (Gāi xǐng lái le, xiàn zài shì zǎo chén.)You should wake up now, it's morning.
- 醒醒，我们要迟到了！ (Xǐng xǐng, wǒ men yào chí dào le!)Wake up! We are going to be late!
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At home in the morning.
- 雨婷 Yuting你醒了嗎？Nǐ xǐng le ma?Are you awake?
- 俊杰 Junjie我醒了。Wǒ xǐng le.I'm awake.
- 雨婷 Yuting快起床吧。Kuài qǐchuáng ba.Get up quickly.
- 俊杰 Junjie好，我現在就起來。Hǎo, wǒ xiànzài jiù qǐlái.Okay, I'm getting up now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wake up” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 醒, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
