清醒 (qīng xǐng) means 'clear-headed, sober, awake' — it describes a state of mental clarity and alertness, not just being physically awake. Unlike 醒 (xǐng 'to wake up'), which focuses on the action of waking, 清醒 emphasizes the resulting clear-minded state. As a verb, it means 'to sober up or regain consciousness' (e.g., after drinking or fainting), which overlaps with 苏醒 (sū xǐng) but is more everyday and less literary.