Chinese character 醺

醺 is a literary character for being pleasantly drunk. Chinese uses it in words for slight or relaxed drunkenness; Japanese retains it in 醺然, a literary expression for appearing pleasantly drunk.

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What 醺 means

It means pleasantly drunk, with a literary, wine-related feel. The Shuowen Jiezi, a Chinese dictionary, glosses 醺 as “drunk” and quotes 醺醺 in a verse from the Book of Songs, a classic collection of Chinese poetry.

Later Chinese usage gives it a softer shade: 醺醺 describes relaxed intoxication, 微醺 means slightly tipsy, 醉醺醺 means drunk, and 醺然 describes appearing pleasantly drunk. Poetry from the Tang dynasty uses 醺醺 this way. Japanese 醺然 is also a literary expression for appearing pleasantly drunk.

Literary and wine-softened; familiar compounds make the tipsy meaning clearer than a bare 醺.

A bare 醺 may read as a literary flourish; give it context if you mean ordinary tipsiness.