Chinese word

清醒

Pronunciation

Pinyinqīng xǐng

Meaning

  • adjectiveclear-headed

Example

你现在清醒吗？nǐ xiàn zài qīng xǐng ma

Are you clear-headed now?

Illustration for 清醒 (clear-headed)

More examples

昨天晚上喝多了，他今天早上还不太清醒。zuó tiān wǎn shàng hē duō le tā jīn tiān zǎo shàng hái bú tài qīng xǐng

He drank too much last night, so he is still not quite clear-headed this morning.

Core concept

A mind with the fog lifted, able to take in what is happening and respond with sound judgment.

Common phrases

  • 头脑清醒tóu nǎo qīng xǐng

    clear-headed

  • 保持清醒bǎo chí qīng xǐng

    stay clear-headed

  • 清醒的人qīng xǐng de rén

    clear-headed person

Similar words

清楚qīng chǔ: Being plain and understandable in its meaning, content, or details.
清晰qīng xī: Having clearly defined features and fine details that can be seen or heard.
明白míng bái: Being clear about what happened or why, so its meaning is understood without doubt.

Definition in Chinese

精神和头脑清楚，思路明晰，能够做出正确判断和反应，不处于迷糊、混乱或昏沉的状态。jīng shén hé tóu nǎo qīng chǔ sī lù míng xī néng gòu zuò chū zhèng què pàn duàn hé fǎn yìng bù chǔ yú mí hū hùn luàn huò hūn chén de zhuàng tài

Word origin

清醒 (qīngxǐng, "clear-headed") is a direct compound of 清 (qīng, "clear") + 醒 (xǐng, "awake"), so it joins a clear mind with a waking state.

Usage tips

  • The pattern 清醒地 (qīngxǐng de, "with a clear head") + verb is useful for describing a realistic assessment, especially when recognizing or viewing a situation.

Other meanings

  • awakeadjective
  • soberadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word