How to Write 醺 (xūn) — Meaning “tipsy; drunk”

Imagine a person (熏) holding a wine jar (酉) and becoming "熏" — like smoke rising from the wine. The shape of 熏 looks like a person with arms raised, wobbling after drinking. This visual helps you remember that 醺 means tipsy or drunk.

Keep the left side 酉 narrow and the right side 熏 wide, with the bottom of 熏 slightly lower. The 熏 part has a complex stroke order: write the top (千), then the middle (田 or similar), and finally the fire-like bottom (灬). A common mistake is missing the short horizontal stroke in the top of 熏.

醺 (xūn) means tipsy or drunk, while 醭 (bú) means mold on wine or soy sauce, and 醮 (jiào) refers to a Taoist ritual or wedding ceremony. Visually, 醺 has 熏 on the right, 醭 has 菐 (a different complex part), and 醮 has 焦 on the right. In usage, 醺 is only about drunkenness, not food spoilage or religious rites.

醺 appears mostly in set phrases like 醉醺醺 (very drunk) and 微醺 (pleasantly tipsy). In Chinese culture, 微醺 describes a desirable, relaxed state from a small amount of alcohol, often praised in poetry. It is not used in casual speech, but rather in literary or descriptive writing.

Common words containing 醺 include: 醉醺醺 (zuì xūn xūn) — tipsy or very drunk; 微醺 (wēi xūn) — tipsy; slightly drunk; 醺然 (xūn rán) — pleasantly tipsy; in a drunken state.