xùjiǔ: 酗酒 - Alcoholism, Excessive Drinking, Binge Drinking

• Keywords: 酗酒, xùjiǔ, alcoholism in Chinese, Chinese word for binge drinking, excessive drinking, problem drinking, 酒, drink too much Chinese, Chinese drinking culture, 酒鬼, hējiǔ, addiction in Chinese.
• Summary: Discover the meaning of 酗酒 (xùjiǔ), the formal Chinese term for alcoholism and chronic excessive drinking. This guide explores its cultural significance, distinguishing it from China's vibrant social drinking culture. Learn how to use this powerful word correctly in context, understand its character origins, and see how it compares to related terms like 喝醉 (hēzuì) and 酒鬼 (jiǔguǐ), providing a deep, practical understanding for any learner of Mandarin.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): xùjiǔ
• Part of Speech: Verb / Noun
• HSK Level: N/A (Advanced)
• Concise Definition: To engage in excessive, uncontrolled drinking of alcohol; alcoholism.
• In a Nutshell: 酗酒 (xùjiǔ) is not just about “drinking a lot” (喝多了 - hē duō le). It describes a serious, often chronic problem with alcohol that implies a loss of control and negative consequences for one's health, work, or family. It carries a strong negative connotation and is often used in medical, psychological, or moral contexts. Think of it as the clinical term “alcoholism” or the severe social problem of “problem drinking.”

• 酗 (xù): This character powerfully conveys the meaning. It is composed of two parts:
  • 酉 (yǒu): The radical for alcohol, originally a pictograph of a wine jar.
  • 凶 (xiōng): Means “fierce,” “ferocious,” or “ominous.”
  • Together, 酗 (xù) literally paints a picture of “fierce” or “dangerous” drinking, highlighting the destructive nature of the act.
• 酒 (jiǔ): This is the standard character for alcohol. It also contains the alcohol radical 酉 (yǒu) next to the water radical 氵(shuǐ).
• How they combine: The combination 酗酒 (xùjiǔ) literally means “fierce alcohol” or “ominous drinking.” It pairs the specific, negative action (酗) with the general object (酒) to form a strong, formal term for problem drinking.

In China, drinking alcohol (喝酒 - hējiǔ) is deeply embedded in the culture (酒文化 - jiǔ wénhuà). It is a vital tool for building social and business relationships (关系 - guānxi), showing respect, and celebrating. At banquets and business dinners, there is often social pressure to drink, known as 劝酒 (quànjiǔ), or urging others to drink. However, 酗酒 (xùjiǔ) represents the point where this social ritual becomes a personal failing or a medical issue. While a person with a high alcohol tolerance (酒量 - jiǔliàng) might be admired, a person who engages in 酗酒 is seen as lacking self-control and bringing shame to themselves and their family. Unlike the Western concept of a “functioning alcoholic,” which acknowledges a person can maintain a semblance of normal life despite their addiction, Chinese culture has historically placed a heavier stigma on 酗酒. It is viewed less as a disease and more as a serious character flaw, though modern medical perspectives are slowly changing this. The distinction is clear: social drinking is for building harmony, while 酗酒 is a destructive, anti-social behavior.

酗酒 (xùjiǔ) is a formal and serious word with a strong negative connotation. It is rarely used in casual conversation to describe a single night of partying.

• Medical and Official Contexts: It is commonly used by doctors, in public health announcements, news reports, and legal documents to describe alcoholism as a condition or cause.
  • “The report pointed out the serious health risks of long-term alcoholism.”
• Moral Judgment: It can be used to describe someone's destructive behavior and its consequences.
  • “His alcoholism led to the breakdown of his marriage.”
• Formal Warnings: You will see it on public signs or in literature warning against the dangers of excessive drinking.

You would not use 酗酒 to say “Let's get wasted tonight!” That would sound bizarre and overly dramatic. For that, you would use much more casual phrases like 喝个痛快 (hē ge tòngkuài - drink to our heart's content) or 不醉不归 (bú zuì bù guī - not going home until we're drunk).

• Example 1:
  • 医生警告他，如果再酗酒，他的肝脏会出严重问题。
  • Pinyin: Yīshēng jǐnggào tā, rúguǒ zài xùjiǔ, tā de gānzàng huì chū yánzhòng wèntí.
  • English: The doctor warned him that if he continued his excessive drinking, he would have serious liver problems.
  • Analysis: A classic example of 酗酒 used in a formal, medical warning.
• Example 2:
  • 长期酗酒是导致许多家庭破裂的主要原因之一。
  • Pinyin: Chángqī xùjiǔ shì dǎozhì xǔduō jiātíng pòliè de zhǔyào yuányīn zhī yī.
  • English: Long-term alcoholism is one of the main reasons for the breakdown of many families.
  • Analysis: Here, 酗酒 is used as a noun to refer to the concept of alcoholism as a social problem.
• Example 3:
  • 他因为酗酒闹事，被公司开除了。
  • Pinyin: Tā yīnwèi xùjiǔ nàoshì, bèi gōngsī kāichú le.
  • English: He was fired from his company for causing trouble due to his heavy drinking.
  • Analysis: This sentence directly links 酗酒 to its negative consequences in the workplace.
• Example 4:
  • 大家都知道他有酗酒的毛病，所以不敢把重要的任务交给他。
  • Pinyin: Dàjiā dōu zhīdào tā yǒu xùjiǔ de máobìng, suǒyǐ bù gǎn bǎ zhòngyào de rènwù jiāo gěi tā.
  • English: Everyone knows he has a drinking problem, so no one dares to give him important tasks.
  • Analysis: 酗酒的毛病 (xùjiǔ de máobìng) literally means “the flaw/bad habit of alcoholism,” a common way to phrase it.
• Example 5:
  • 酗酒不仅伤害自己的身体，也伤害了关心你的人。
  • Pinyin: Xùjiǔ bùjǐn shānghài zìjǐ de shēntǐ, yě shānghài le guānxīn nǐ de rén.
  • English: Alcoholism not only harms your own body, but also harms the people who care about you.
  • Analysis: A sentence from a public service announcement or a piece of advice, using 酗酒 as the subject.
• Example 6:
  • 他年轻时英俊有为，可惜后来沉迷于酗酒，毁了自己的一生。
  • Pinyin: Tā niánqīng shí yīngjùn yǒuwéi, kěxī hòulái chénmí yú xùjiǔ, huǐ le zìjǐ de yīshēng.
  • English: He was handsome and promising when he was young, but unfortunately, he later became addicted to alcohol and ruined his life.
  • Analysis: 沉迷于酗酒 (chénmí yú xùjiǔ) means “to be addicted to alcoholism,” a very strong and literary phrasing.
• Example 7:
  • 为了孩子的未来，她决心帮助丈夫戒掉酗酒的习惯。
  • Pinyin: Wèile háizi de wèilái, tā juéxīn bāngzhù zhàngfū jiè diào xùjiǔ de xíguàn.
  • English: For the sake of her child's future, she was determined to help her husband quit his habit of excessive drinking.
  • Analysis: This shows the opposite action, 戒酒 (quitting alcohol), in relation to 酗酒.
• Example 8:
  • 这部电影深刻地描绘了一个酗酒者的内心挣扎。
  • Pinyin: Zhè bù diànyǐng shēnkè de miáohuì le yí ge xùjiǔ zhě de nèixīn zhēngzhá.
  • English: This movie profoundly depicts the inner struggles of an alcoholic.
  • Analysis: The suffix 者 (zhě) can be added to 酗酒 to mean “one who engages in alcoholism,” i.e., “an alcoholic.”
• Example 9:
  • 法律严禁酗酒后驾驶机动车。
  • Pinyin: Fǎlǜ yánjìn xùjiǔ hòu jiàshǐ jīdòngchē.
  • English: The law strictly prohibits driving a motor vehicle after binge drinking.
  • Analysis: A very formal, legal use of the term. Here, it can refer to a single, severe instance of drinking before driving.
• Example 10:
  • 偶尔和朋友喝几杯不叫酗酒，失去控制才是问题所在。
  • Pinyin: Ōu'ěr hé péngyǒu hē jǐ bēi bú jiào xùjiǔ, shīqù kòngzhì cái shì wèntí suǒzài.
  • English: Occasionally having a few drinks with friends is not called alcoholism; losing control is the real problem.
  • Analysis: This sentence perfectly clarifies the nuance by contrasting social drinking with the loss of control that defines 酗酒.

• Don't use 酗酒 for casual drinking: The most common mistake is using 酗酒 to describe getting drunk at a party. It's too serious and formal.
  • Incorrect: 昨晚我们去KTV酗酒了。(Zuówǎn wǒmen qù KTV xùjiǔ le.) - This sounds like you went to KTV to engage in a self-destructive, chronic behavior.
  • Correct: 昨晚我们去KTV喝多了。(Zuówǎn wǒmen qù KTV hē duō le.) - “Last night we went to KTV and drank too much.”
  • Correct: 昨晚我们都喝醉了。(Zuówǎn wǒmen dōu hē zuì le.) - “Last night we all got drunk.”
• 酗酒 vs. Binge Drinking: While 酗酒 can sometimes be translated as “binge drinking,” especially in contexts like drunk driving laws, its core meaning is closer to the chronic condition of “alcoholism.” A single episode of binge drinking is better described as 一次喝了太多 (yīcì hē le tài duō - “drank too much at one time”). 酗酒 implies a pattern of such behavior.

• 喝酒 (hējiǔ) - The neutral, general verb “to drink alcohol.”
• 喝醉 (hēzuì) - To be drunk, to get drunk. Describes the state after drinking too much.
• 酒鬼 (jiǔguǐ) - “Alcohol ghost”; a very derogatory and colloquial term for a “drunkard” or “alcoholic.” It's an insult, whereas 酗酒 is a more formal description.
• 戒酒 (jièjiǔ) - To quit drinking alcohol; the direct antonym of the behavior.
• 酒量 (jiǔliàng) - A person's capacity or tolerance for alcohol. Someone with a high 酒量 can drink a lot without getting drunk.
• 酒文化 (jiǔ wénhuà) - “Drinking culture,” referring to the social customs and rituals surrounding alcohol in China.
• 劝酒 (quànjiǔ) - To urge or pressure someone to drink, a common practice at Chinese banquets.
• 宿醉 (sùzuì) - Hangover.
• 贪杯 (tānbēi) - “Greedy for the cup.” A milder, more literary way to say someone likes to drink too much, but not as severe or clinical as 酗酒.