Definition
惺忪 is a literary adjective that primarily describes the drowsy, half-open look of eyes just after waking — the blurry, unfocused state right when you open your eyes. It can also carry a secondary, rarer meaning of 'wavering' or 'indecisive' in classical Chinese contexts. The word is almost always used in written or formal speech, not in casual conversation, and it pairs naturally with 睡眼 (sleepy eyes) in the common phrase 睡眼惺忪.
a
(of eyes) drowsyblurry from just waking up(literary) waveringindecisive
Examples
- 惺忪，。Tā shuìyǎn xīng sōng de cóng chuáng shàng pá qǐlái, hái méi wánquán qīngxǐng.He got out of bed with drowsy eyes, not yet fully awake.
- 惺忪，。Qīngchén de yángguāng zhào zài tā xīng sōng de shuāngmóu shàng, xiǎnde géwài wēnróu.The morning sunlight fell on her drowsy eyes, making her look especially gentle.
- 惺忪。Zhè zhǒng xīng sōng bú dìng de tàidù ràng tánpàn xiànrù jiāngjú.This wavering, indecisive attitude brought the negotiations to a stalemate.
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