awake, be disillusioned, sober up
醒 centers on emerging from a dulled or mistaken state: waking from sleep, sobering up from intoxication, or becoming disillusioned and seeing things clearly.
醒 combines 酉 (wine jar, alcohol) with 星 (star, also used phonetically for 'clear'). The character originally expressed sobering up from alcohol, then extended to waking and disillusionment.
The wine jar 酉 on the left and the star 星 on the right suggest a drunkard sobering up under the clear morning star: waking from a stupor and seeing reality clearly.
For セイ, picture a sober person saying 'say' to the wine jar: 'Say no more!' — 'say' cues セイ, and the refusal brings clarity.
waking up; awakening; arousal; revival
stimulant (e.g. psychoactive drugs like methamphetamine, ritalin, etc.)
half asleep and half awake
half awake and half asleep
Great Awakening (18th century American Christian revival movement)
circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorder; CRSWD
to have one's fun spoiled; to have one's enthusiasm dampened
hyperarousal (symptom of PTSD)
stimulant effect (e.g. caffeine)
sleep-wake cycle
level of awakeness; level of arousal
wakefulness
warning
hyperarousal (symptom of PTSD)
a teetotaler doesn't know (how tasty) water is when waking up after having been drunk
awakening; waking up; opening one's eyes