‘吵醒’ is a compound verb meaning ‘to wake (someone) up by making noise’. It combines 吵 (chǎo), meaning ‘to make a loud or disturbing noise’, and 醒 (xǐng), meaning ‘to wake up’ or ‘to become awake’. The structure follows the common Chinese pattern of [cause] + [result]: the noise (吵) causes the person to wake (醒). It is always used transitively — someone or something *causes* another person to wake up, so it requires an object (e.g., ‘他把我吵醒了’ — ‘He woke me up with noise’).

This verb is commonly used in everyday situations involving unintended disturbance: loud music, shouting, construction noise, or even pets barking early in the morning. It carries a slightly negative or apologetic connotation, implying the waking was unwanted or disruptive. Unlike the neutral ‘叫醒’ (to wake up, often intentionally), ‘吵醒’ emphasizes the unpleasant, noisy nature of the interruption.