When you want to say “to wake someone up” in Chinese, you have a few options. One of them is 叫醒 (jiào xǐng).
叫醒 is a verb, and it means to make someone or something stop sleeping. You can use it when you wake up a person, or even an animal!
For example, if you want to say “I will wake you up tomorrow,” you can say 我明天叫醒你 (wǒ míng tiān jiào xǐng nǐ).
When you want to express the idea of waking someone or something up, the Chinese verb 叫醒 (jiàoxǐng) is a very useful word. It literally means 'to call awake.' Think of it as actively causing someone to stop sleeping.
For example, if your alarm clock wakes you up, you can say 闹钟把我叫醒了 (nàozhōng bǎ wǒ jiàoxǐng le). It's also commonly used when you wake up another person or an animal, like 妈妈叫醒了我 (māma jiàoxǐng le wǒ), meaning 'Mom woke me up.'
When we want to talk about waking someone or something up, the Chinese verb 叫醒 (jiàoxǐng) is a good option. It literally combines 叫 (jiào), meaning 'to call' or 'to shout,' with 醒 (xǐng), meaning 'to wake up' or 'to be awake.' So, you're essentially 'calling someone awake' or 'shouting them awake.'
This verb is commonly used when you are actively causing another living being to awaken from sleep. You can use it for people, pets, or even an animal you encounter. It implies an action on your part to rouse someone from their slumber.
For instance, if your alarm clock wakes you up, you wouldn't typically use 叫醒 for the alarm clock's action itself, but rather for your own act of waking someone else. Think of it as actively making someone wake up.
§ What does it mean and when do people use it?
Let's talk about 叫醒 (jiàoxǐng). This is a really useful verb, and it means 'to wake up' someone or something. Think about it like causing someone to awaken. It's pretty straightforward, but there are a few things to keep in mind so you use it correctly.
- DEFINITION
- To wake up (an animal); cause to awaken.
The key here is that it describes the action of making someone or something stop sleeping. You wouldn't use it to say 'I woke up' in the morning by myself. For that, you'd usually use 醒了 (xǐng le) or just 起床 (qǐchuáng) if you're talking about getting out of bed. 叫醒 is specifically about an external action causing the awakening.
You can use 叫醒 for people, pets, or even for yourself if you're talking about an alarm clock waking you up. For example, if your friend is sleeping in and you need them to get up, you would say:
你可以去叫醒他吗？
Can you go wake him up?
Or, if your cat is having a really good nap and you need to feed them:
我不想叫醒我的猫。
I don't want to wake up my cat.
It's often used with an object directly after it, like 叫醒他 (jiàoxǐng tā - wake him up) or 叫醒我 (jiàoxǐng wǒ - wake me up). You can also use it in a sentence where the thing doing the waking is explicitly mentioned.
闹钟叫醒了我。
The alarm clock woke me up.
Notice how the alarm clock is the subject doing the action of waking. This is a very common structure. If you want to say how someone woke someone up, you can add that information too:
- 用声音叫醒 (yòng shēngyīn jiàoxǐng) - wake up with a sound
- 用光叫醒 (yòng guāng jiàoxǐng) - wake up with light
But generally, the simpler sentence structure is all you need to get your point across. Just focus on who is waking whom.
So, when would you use this in daily conversation? Pretty often! Imagine these scenarios:
- Your mom is trying to get you out of bed for school: “快点，我要叫醒你！” (Kuài diǎn, wǒ yào jiàoxǐng nǐ! - Hurry up, I need to wake you up!)
- You're telling a story about your dog: “早上，我不得不叫醒我的狗去散步。” (Zǎoshang, wǒ bú dé bù jiàoxǐng wǒ de gǒu qù sànbù. - In the morning, I had to wake up my dog to go for a walk.)
- You set an alarm: “我的闹钟每天早上六点叫醒我。” (Wǒ de nàozhōng měitiān zǎoshang liù diǎn jiàoxǐng wǒ. - My alarm clock wakes me up at 6 AM every morning.)
It's all about that active role of initiating the waking. Keep practicing with examples, and you'll get the hang of it quickly!
§ Understanding '叫醒' (jiào xǐng)
Alright, let's get straight to it. You've learned the word '叫醒' (jiào xǐng), which means 'to wake up (an animal); cause to awaken'. It's an A1-level word, so it's fundamental. But how do you actually use this in real life? Where will you hear it? Forget the textbooks for a second; we're talking practical application.
- DEFINITION
- To wake up (an animal); cause to awaken.
§ '叫醒' in Everyday Situations: Home and Family
The most common place you'll hear '叫醒' is in a family setting, or just talking about daily routines. Think about waking up family members or even your pets. It's a very natural fit here.
我需要叫醒我弟弟去上学。
Translation hint: I need to wake up my younger brother to go to school.
妈妈通常在七点叫醒我。
Translation hint: Mom usually wakes me up at seven o'clock.
我的狗每天早上都会叫醒我。
Translation hint: My dog wakes me up every morning.
§ '叫醒' in Social Contexts and Travel
Beyond the home, '叫醒' can pop up in other social situations, especially when you're coordinating with others or traveling. Imagine you're on a trip and need to make sure someone doesn't miss their stop.
请在火车到站前叫醒我。
Translation hint: Please wake me up before the train arrives at the station.
设定闹钟来叫醒我。
Translation hint: Set an alarm to wake me up.
§ '叫醒' in Work/School (Less Common, But Possible)
While not as frequent as in home contexts, '叫醒' can appear in work or school scenarios, especially if you're talking about a quick nap or someone falling asleep during a meeting or class (hopefully not you!).
- If a colleague falls asleep during a long meeting: 你可能需要叫醒他。 (Translation hint: You might need to wake him up.)
- If you ask a classmate to wake you if you doze off: 如果我睡着了，请叫醒我。 (Translation hint: If I fall asleep, please wake me up.)
It's straightforward. Don't overthink it. '叫醒' is about causing someone or something to transition from sleep to being awake. Keep practicing these examples, and you'll get comfortable with it in no time.
Fun Fact
While 叫醒 specifically means to wake someone or something up, 醒 can also be used on its own to mean 'to wake up' (intransitive), like '我醒了' (Wǒ xǐng le, 'I woke up').
Pronunciation Guide
- confusing with '起床' (qǐchuáng - to get out of bed, for people)
Difficulty Rating
short
short
short
short
What to Learn Next
Prerequisites
Learn Next
Advanced
Grammar Patterns
Sentence Patterns
Subj. + 叫醒 + Obj.
妈妈叫醒了孩子。 (Mom woke up the child.)
Subj. + 叫醒 + Obj. + 了
我叫醒了我的狗。 (I woke up my dog.)
为了 + purpose, Subj. + 叫醒 + Obj.
为了赶飞机，我叫醒了我的朋友。 (To catch the flight, I woke up my friend.)
Subj. + 被 + Obj. + 叫醒
我被闹钟叫醒了。 (I was woken up by the alarm clock.)
Subj. + 叫醒 + Obj. + 起来
她叫醒了睡着的丈夫。 (She woke up her sleeping husband.)
Subj. + 没(有) + 叫醒 + Obj.
我没有叫醒他。 (I didn't wake him up.)
Subj. + 怎么也 + 叫不醒 + Obj.
我怎么也叫不醒他。 (I can't wake him up no matter what.)
如果 + condition, Subj. + 会 + 叫醒 + Obj.
如果他迟到，我会叫醒他。 (If he's late, I'll wake him up.)
Word Family
Nouns
Verbs
Adjectives
Word Origin
Formed from 叫 (jiào, 'to call, to shout') and 醒 (xǐng, 'to wake up, to be awake').
Original meaning: The combination literally means 'to call to wake up'.
Sino-Tibetan, Sinitic, Chinese.Cultural Context
In Chinese culture, it's common to use '叫醒' for both people and animals. There isn't a strong cultural distinction in the verb's usage here. It's a straightforward action without deep cultural nuances.
Practice in Real Life
Real-World Contexts
Waking up a pet
- 叫醒我的猫 (jiào xǐng wǒ de māo) - wake up my cat
- 不要叫醒狗 (bú yào jiào xǐng gǒu) - don't wake the dog
- 它还没叫醒 (tā hái méi jiào xǐng) - it's not awake yet
Waking up a sleeping child
- 叫醒孩子吃饭 (jiào xǐng hái zi chī fàn) - wake the child up to eat
- 轻轻叫醒他 (qīng qīng jiào xǐng tā) - gently wake him up
- 我能叫醒她吗？ (wǒ néng jiào xǐng tā ma?) - Can I wake her up?
Waking up an adult (more direct, less common for '叫醒')
- 谁来叫醒他？ (shuí lái jiào xǐng tā?) - Who will wake him up?
- 我需要叫醒你吗？ (wǒ xū yào jiào xǐng nǐ ma?) - Do I need to wake you up?
- 叫醒我，我还在睡觉。 (jiào xǐng wǒ, wǒ hái zài shuì jiào.) - Wake me up, I'm still sleeping.
When something else causes awakening
- 噪音叫醒了我 (zào yīn jiào xǐng le wǒ) - the noise woke me up
- 闹钟叫醒了我 (nào zhōng jiào xǐng le wǒ) - the alarm clock woke me up
- 光线叫醒了他 (guāng xiàn jiào xǐng le tā) - the light woke him up
Figurative waking up (less common for A1)
- 叫醒你的大脑 (jiào xǐng nǐ de dà nǎo) - wake up your brain
- 叫醒沉睡的城市 (jiào xǐng chén shuì de chéng shì) - wake up the sleeping city
- 这个问题叫醒了我 (zhè ge wèn tí jiào xǐng le wǒ) - this problem woke me up (made me realize)
Conversation Starters
"你每天早上怎么叫醒自己？ (nǐ měi tiān zǎo shàng zěn me jiào xǐng zì jǐ?) - How do you wake yourself up every morning?"
"你喜欢被人叫醒还是自己醒来？ (nǐ xǐ huān bèi rén jiào xǐng hái shì zì jǐ xǐng lái?) - Do you like being woken up by someone or waking up by yourself?"
"如果你的宠物睡着了，你会叫醒它吗？ (rú guǒ nǐ de chǒng wù shuì zhe le, nǐ huì jiào xǐng tā ma?) - If your pet is sleeping, would you wake it up?"
"有没有什么声音会把你叫醒？ (yǒu méi yǒu shén me shēng yīn huì bǎ nǐ jiào xǐng?) - Is there any sound that wakes you up?"
"你觉得最难叫醒的人是谁？ (nǐ jué de zuì nán jiào xǐng de rén shì shuí?) - Who do you think is the hardest person to wake up?"
Journal Prompts
描述一次你必须叫醒别人的经历。 (miáo shù yī cì nǐ bì xū jiào xǐng bié rén de jīng lì.) - Describe an experience where you had to wake someone up.
写下你理想的早晨，包括你是怎么被叫醒的。 (xiě xià nǐ lǐ xiǎng de zǎo chén, bāo kuò nǐ shì zěn me bèi jiào xǐng de.) - Write about your ideal morning, including how you are woken up.
你认为什么方法叫醒别人最有效？ (nǐ rèn wéi shén me fāng fǎ jiào xǐng bié rén zuì yǒu xiào?) - What do you think is the most effective way to wake someone up?
如果有东西叫醒了你，而你本来不想醒，你会怎么做？ (rú guǒ yǒu dōng xī jiào xǐng le nǐ, ér nǐ běn lái bù xiǎng xǐng, nǐ huì zěn me zuò?) - If something woke you up and you didn't want to be awake, what would you do?
思考一下，什么事情能“叫醒”你的兴趣或热情？ (sī kǎo yī xià, shén me shì qíng néng “jiào xǐng” nǐ de xìng qù huò rè qíng?) - Think about what things can 'awaken' your interest or passion?
Test Yourself 42 questions
妈妈需要___孩子起床上学。
The sentence means 'Mom needs to wake up the child to go to school.' '叫醒' means 'to wake up'.
闹钟没响，所以没有人___我。
The sentence means 'The alarm didn't ring, so no one woke me up.' '叫醒' means 'to wake up'.
早上，我喜欢用音乐___自己。
The sentence means 'In the morning, I like to use music to wake myself up.' '叫醒' means 'to wake up'.
请你___我，我明天要早起。
The sentence means 'Please wake me up, I need to get up early tomorrow.' '叫醒' means 'to wake up'.
小狗睡得很香，不要___它。
The sentence means 'The puppy is sleeping soundly, don't wake it up.' '叫醒' means 'to wake up'.
他睡过头了，没有人___他。
The sentence means 'He overslept, no one woke him up.' '叫醒' means 'to wake up'.
This sentence means 'Mom wakes me up.' The common word order in Chinese is Subject + Verb + Object.
This sentence means 'He wakes up the puppy.' Subject + Verb + Object is a typical sentence structure.
This sentence asks 'Do you wake up the cat?' The '吗' at the end turns it into a question.
她每天早上都会___她的狗去散步。
The sentence means 'She wakes up her dog every morning to go for a walk.' '叫醒' (jiàoxǐng) means to wake up, which fits the context of waking a dog.
请你___我的猫，它该吃早餐了。
The sentence means 'Please wake up my cat, it's time for breakfast.' '叫醒' is the correct verb to use for waking an animal.
我听到闹钟响了，但是没有___我的孩子。
The sentence means 'I heard the alarm clock, but it didn't wake up my child.' '叫醒' is used when someone or something causes another to awaken.
为了不___小鸟，我们走路很轻。
The sentence means 'To avoid waking up the little birds, we walked lightly.' '叫醒' fits the context of not wanting to disturb sleeping birds.
爸爸轻轻地___了熟睡的宝宝。
The sentence means 'Dad gently woke up the sleeping baby.' '叫醒' is the appropriate verb for awakening someone from sleep.
闹钟没能___她，所以她迟到了。
The sentence means 'The alarm clock failed to wake her up, so she was late.' '叫醒' specifically refers to causing someone to awaken.
Choose the correct sentence: My alarm clock can wake me up.
叫醒 (jiào xǐng) is a separable verb, but in this context, it functions as a single unit when the object is a pronoun or placed directly after.
Which sentence means: Please wake up the child gently.
轻轻 (qīngqīng) is an adverb modifying 叫醒 (jiào xǐng), and should be placed before the verb.
Complete the sentence: 他每天早上都______ 他的狗。
叫醒 (jiào xǐng) means 'to wake up (someone/something)', which fits the context of waking up a dog.
You can use 叫醒 (jiào xǐng) to say 'I woke up naturally'.
叫醒 (jiào xǐng) means to cause someone or something to wake up. For 'I woke up naturally', you would use 醒来 (xǐng lái) or 醒了 (xǐng le).
The sentence '妈妈叫醒了我。' means 'Mom woke me up.'
叫醒 (jiào xǐng) is correctly used here to indicate that mom caused 'me' to wake up.
The sentence '他被吵醒了。' (Tā bèi chǎo xǐng le) uses 叫醒 (jiào xǐng) in its structure.
The sentence '他被吵醒了' means 'He was woken up by noise.' It uses 吵醒 (chǎo xǐng), not 叫醒 (jiào xǐng). While both mean 'to wake up', 吵醒 specifies the cause as noise, whereas 叫醒 is more general for 'calling/causing to wake'.
Choose the correct sentence using “叫醒”:
The sentence “妈妈叫醒了我去上学” means 'Mom woke me up to go to school', which correctly uses “叫醒” to indicate someone causing another person to awaken. The other options use '叫醒' incorrectly.
Which of the following describes a situation where you would use “叫醒”?
“叫醒” specifically means to cause someone to awaken from sleep. The other options describe different actions.
Translate the sentence: 'Please wake me up at 7 AM.'
“请早上七点叫醒我” directly translates to 'Please wake me up at 7 AM', using “叫醒” correctly for 'wake up'.
You can use “叫醒” to say 'I woke up early this morning.'
“叫醒” is transitive and means 'to wake someone up' or 'to cause someone to awaken'. If you woke up yourself, you would typically use “醒来” (xǐng lái) or just “醒了” (xǐng le). For example: '我今天早上醒得很早。'
If your alarm clock rings, it “叫醒” you.
An alarm clock is an agent that causes you to awaken, so it “叫醒” you. For example: '闹钟叫醒了我。'
You can use “叫醒” to describe waking up from a dream by yourself.
“叫醒” implies an external force or action waking someone up. If you wake up from a dream by yourself, you would use “醒来” or “醒了”.
Imagine you need to wake your friend up for an important event. Write a short message (2-3 sentences) in Chinese telling them to wake up, using 叫醒. Explain why it's important.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
快点叫醒我，今天有一个很重要的会议。我不想迟到！ (Quickly wake me up, there's a very important meeting today. I don't want to be late!)
You are writing a diary entry about your morning. Describe how you woke up your pet cat/dog. Use 叫醒 in your entry. (2-3 sentences)
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
早上，我轻轻地叫醒了我的小狗。它伸了个懒腰，然后跟着我去了厨房。(In the morning, I gently woke up my little dog. It stretched and then followed me to the kitchen.)
Write a short message to your roommate asking them to call you to wake you up tomorrow morning, because you have an early flight. Include the time.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
明天早上请你叫醒我。我有一个早班飞机，七点就要出门了。(Please wake me up tomorrow morning. I have an early flight and need to leave at seven.)
Based on the passage, what did Mama do?
Read this passage:
妈妈看到小明还在睡觉，就轻轻地叫醒了他。小明揉了揉眼睛，问：“现在几点了？”妈妈说：“已经七点了，快起床吃早饭吧！”
Based on the passage, what did Mama do?
The passage states '妈妈看到小明还在睡觉，就轻轻地叫醒了他', which means 'Mama saw Xiao Ming was still sleeping, so she gently woke him up.'
The passage states '妈妈看到小明还在睡觉，就轻轻地叫醒了他', which means 'Mama saw Xiao Ming was still sleeping, so she gently woke him up.'
What caused the speaker to wake up?
Read this passage:
为了不迟到，我定了一个闹钟。但是闹钟没能叫醒我，最后还是我妈妈来叫醒我的。下次我得把闹钟声音调大一点。
What caused the speaker to wake up?
The passage says '但是闹钟没能叫醒我，最后还是我妈妈来叫醒我的', meaning 'But the alarm clock couldn't wake me up, in the end, it was my mother who woke me up.'
The passage says '但是闹钟没能叫醒我，最后还是我妈妈来叫醒我的', meaning 'But the alarm clock couldn't wake me up, in the end, it was my mother who woke me up.'
When does the speaker prefer to be woken up by a friend?
Read this passage:
周末的时候，我喜欢睡到自然醒。但如果我有重要的约会，我就会请我的朋友叫醒我，以免我错过时间。
When does the speaker prefer to be woken up by a friend?
The passage states '但如果我有重要的约会，我就会请我的朋友叫醒我', which translates to 'But if I have an important appointment, I will ask my friend to wake me up.'
The passage states '但如果我有重要的约会，我就会请我的朋友叫醒我', which translates to 'But if I have an important appointment, I will ask my friend to wake me up.'
她小心翼翼地把沉睡的婴儿___，以免打扰到他。
Contextually, '叫醒' is the most neutral and appropriate choice for gently waking someone. Other options imply more force or surprise.
闹钟响了很久，但他依然没被___。
Here, '叫醒' fits the general idea of being woken up by an alarm. The nuance at C2 is that while '吵醒' might be used if the alarm was annoyingly loud, '叫醒' is the more direct and common verb for being woken by an alarm.
深夜里的一声巨响，把整个小区的人都给___了。
'惊醒' (jīngxǐng) specifically means to be woken up with a start or shock, which is fitting for a sudden loud noise in the middle of the night.
经过长时间的昏迷，医生们努力地试图___病人。
'唤醒' (huànxǐng) often carries a more formal or profound connotation, implying a deeper state of unconsciousness or a more deliberate effort to awaken someone, such as from a coma.
他被窗外刺耳的警报声___，心里十分不悦。
'吵醒' (chǎoxǐng) implies being woken up by noise, often with the added nuance of being disturbed or annoyed by it.
她发现孩子睡得正香，实在不忍心___他吃早餐。
This context refers to the general act of waking someone for a routine activity like breakfast, where '叫醒' is the most natural and common choice.
/ 42 correct
Perfect score!
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A1To attack; to assault.
野兽
B1Wild beast; a wild animal, especially a large or dangerous one.
蜜蜂
A1Bee; a stinging winged insect that produces honey and wax.
鸟窝
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咬伤
A1To bite and injure; wound by biting.
骨头
A1Bone; any of the pieces of hard, whitish tissue making up the skeleton.
虫子
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蝴蝶
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笼子
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