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醒酒 (xǐng jiǔ) — to sober up

Definition

A verb-object phrase meaning to sober up or recover from drunkenness. The verb 醒 means 'to wake/clear' and 酒 is 'alcohol'; together they describe the process, not a state.

verb
to sober up

Examples

  • ，醒酒。
    Tā hē le hěn duō jiǔ, xū yào shí jiān xǐng jiǔ.
    He drank a lot and needs time to sober up.
  • ，。
    Wǒ xǐng guò jǐ cì jiǔ, měi cì dōu hěn tòng kǔ.
    I've sobered up a few times, and it was painful every time.
  • 。
    Tā xǐng le jiǔ jiù qù shàng bān le.
    He went to work after he sobered up.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

醒xǐngsober
酒jiǔalcohol

醒 means to become sober and 酒 means alcohol; together they describe sobering from alcohol.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
酉酉yǒualcohol
Sound part声符shēngfú
星
星xīng醒xǐng
Same sound today

醒 combines 酉, which stands for alcohol, with 星, which gives the sound.

Open 醒 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
酉
酉yǒu酒jiǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

酒 pairs 酉, the original picture for this word, with 水 (water), added later to distinguish it.

Open 酒 →
Appears in
Alcohol & Tobacco

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