召开

• Pinyin: zhào kāi
• Hanzi breakdown: 召 = 口 (mouth) + 刀 (knife, phonetic), to summon or call; 开 = 廾 (two hands) + 门 (door), to open

Meaning

To convene; to hold (a meeting, conference, or assembly). A formal verb for organising and opening an official gathering.

Used specifically for formal meetings, conferences, congresses, or assemblies — not casual get-togethers. Common in news reporting, official announcements, and government contexts. Always takes a meeting noun as its object: 召开会议 (to hold a meeting), 召开大会 (to convene an assembly).

Examples

1. 公司下周将召开年度股东大会，讨论未来发展方向。 The company will hold its annual shareholders' meeting next week to discuss future development directions.
2. 政府紧急召开新闻发布会，通报最新情况。 The government urgently convened a press conference to report on the latest situation.
3. 本次国际峰会将于北京召开，来自五十个国家的代表出席。 This international summit will be held in Beijing, with delegates from fifty countries in attendance.

Usage Guide

Context: business, government, news

Tone: formal

Do Say

• 委员会将于明天召开紧急会议。(The committee will convene an emergency meeting tomorrow.)
• 这次峰会在上海召开，吸引了全球媒体的关注。(This summit was held in Shanghai and attracted global media attention.)

Don't Say

• 用'召开'形容朋友之间的普通聚会 (Don't use 召开 for informal gatherings among friends — use 开 or 聚 instead; 召开 is reserved for formal, official events)

Origin & History

A compound of 召 (to summon, to call together) and 开 (to open, to start). Together they mean to officially summon people together and open a formal meeting.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal