Meaning of 醉
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- intoxicated
How to use 醉
醉 means to be drunk, and it often follows a verb as a result, as in 喝醉 (hēzuì, to get drunk). It can also mean being carried away by something beautiful, as in 陶醉 (táozuì). Example: 他昨天喝醉了。(Tā zuótiān hēzuì le.) He got drunk yesterday.
醉 has 酉 (yǒu) on the left, a wine jar, and 卒 (zú) on the right. Picture someone who drank the jar until they reached the end, 卒, and now they are drunk.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 醉 (zuì) with 碎 (suì, broken), since both use 卒 on the right. Remember that the wine jar 酉 means drunk, and the stone 石 means smashed to pieces.
醉 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
醉 zuì · intoxicated · 15 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 醉.
| 麻醉 | mázuì | anesthesia; to anesthetize; (fig.) to corrupt (sb's mind); to enervate; to numb the mind ( |
| 陶醉 | táozuì | to be infatuated with; to be drunk with; to be enchanted with; to revel in |
| 如醉如痴 | rúzuì-rúchī | see 如癡如醉|如痴如醉[ru2 chi1 ru2 zui4] |
| 喝醉 | hēzuì | to get drunk |
| 醉酒 | zuìjiǔ | to get drunk |
| 醉鬼 | zuìguǐ | drunkard |
| 宿醉 | sùzuì | hangover |
| 烂醉 | lànzuì | dead drunk; completely drunk |
| 灌醉 | guànzuì | to fuddle; to befuddle |
| 醉醺醺 | zuìxūnxūn | drunk; intoxicated |
| 麻醉剂 | mázuìjì | an anesthetic; (fig.) a narcotic |
| 沉醉 | chénzuì | to become intoxicated |
Questions about 醉
What does 醉 mean?
醉 (zuì) means "intoxicated" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 醉?
醉 is made of 1 character: 醉 (15 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 醉 an HSK word?
Yes. 醉 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 醉 and 喝醉?
醉 describes the state of being drunk, as in 他醉了 (tā zuì le, he is drunk). 喝醉 adds the action of drinking that caused it. In everyday speech 喝醉了 is the most natural way to say someone got drunk.
Can 醉 be used for things other than alcohol?
Yes. It can describe being deeply charmed or absorbed, as in 陶醉 (táozuì, to be enchanted) or 如醉如痴 (rúzuì-rúchī, as if drunk and entranced). It also appears in 麻醉 (mázuì), meaning anesthesia.