关注

• Pinyin: guān zhù
• Hanzi breakdown: 关 = simplified from 關, a gate with a bar — to close/concern; 注 = 氵(water) + 主 (main) — to pour/focus

Meaning

To pay attention to; to follow; to be concerned about. To give sustained attention to something.

Used for both serious attention (关注健康 — pay attention to health, 关注新闻 — follow the news) and social media following (关注账号 — follow an account). Slightly more formal than 注意 and implies ongoing, sustained interest rather than momentary awareness.

Examples

1. 请大家关注自己的身体健康。 Please everyone, pay attention to your own health.
2. 越来越多的人开始关注环境问题。 More and more people are starting to care about environmental issues.
3. 你可以关注我们的公众号。 You can follow our official account.

Usage Guide

Context: social media, news, health

Tone: attentive

Do Say

• 请关注我们的最新消息。(Please follow our latest news.)
• 我们应该多关注老人的生活。(We should pay more attention to the lives of the elderly.)

Don't Say

• 关注红绿灯再过马路。(For immediate, momentary attention use 注意 instead. Say 注意红绿灯再过马路.)

Origin & History

Compound of 关 (to concern/relate to) and 注 (to focus/pour attention). Together they mean 'to pour one's concern into' — to pay close attention.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal