惺

xīng
忄 + 星

Definitions

xīng (literary) to come to one's senses; to awaken; (literary) astute; sharp-witted

Etymology

A brilliant 星 mind 忄; 星 also provides the pronunciation

About

The character 惺 (xīng) is a phono-semantic compound. The semantic radical 忄 (xīn), a variant of 心 meaning "heart", connects it to psychological states, while the component 星 (xīng) meaning "star" provides the phonetic element. Initially, it primarily denoted intelligence or quick-wittedness, aligning with the cognitive sense of the heart radical. Later, its meaning expanded to include waking up, becoming sober, or realizing something, as seen in the compound 惺忪 (xīng sōng), which describes the drowsy state just before or after sleep.

Example Sentences Hide

他睡眼惺忪地看着我。

Tā shuìyǎn xīngsōng de kànzhe wǒ.

He looked at me with sleepy eyes.

她的笑容有点假惺惺。

Tā de xiàoróng yǒudiǎn jiǎxīngxīng.

Her smile is a bit hypocritical.

早上起来，他总是睡眼惺忪。

Zǎoshang qǐlái, tā zǒngshì shuìyǎn xīngsōng.

When he gets up in the morning, he always has sleepy eyes.

别那么假惺惺地说话。

Bié nàme jiǎxīngxīng de shuōhuà.

Don't talk in such a hypocritical manner.

他揉着惺忪的睡眼去刷牙。

Tā róuzhe xīngsōng de shuìyǎn qù shuāyá.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes and went to brush his teeth.

那种假惺惺的关心让人讨厌。

Nà zhǒng jiǎxīngxīng de guānxīn ràng rén tǎoyàn.

That kind of hypocritical concern is annoying.

尽管睡眼惺忪，他还是坚持完成了工作。

Jǐnguǎn shuìyǎn xīngsōng, tā háishì jiānchí wánchéng le gōngzuò.

Despite having sleepy eyes, he persevered and finished the work.

对于他假惺惺的承诺，我们早已不再相信。

Duìyú tā jiǎxīngxīng de chéngnuò, wǒmen zǎo yǐ bù zài xiāngxìn.

Regarding his hypocritical promises, we no longer believe them.

Related Characters

Component: 忄

情 性 快 怕 惊 怀 怪 慢 忙 懂 惯 恨 恰 忆

Component: 星

醒 猩 腥 戥 暒 煋

Example Words

惺惺 假惺惺 惺忪 惺松 睡眼惺忪