"一言驚醒夢中人"這個成語可以用英文表達為 "a wake-up call" 或者 "a slap in the face"。這些表達方式用來形容一句話或一個事件讓某人突然意識到現實情況，或者從錯誤的夢想或幻想中醒來。
例如：
- "That harsh comment from my boss was a real wake-up call for me to improve my work." (我老闆的嚴厲評論真的讓我意識到我必須改善我的工作。)
- "The news of the company's financial trouble was a slap in the face, making us realize we needed to cut costs immediately." (公司財務困難的訊息讓我們清醒過來，意識到我們需要立刻削減成本。)