唤起

• Pinyin: huàn qǐ
• Hanzi breakdown: 唤 = 口 + 奂 (mouth + brilliant, calling out vividly); 起 = 走 + 己 (walk + self, rising up)

Meaning

To awaken; to evoke; to arouse; to call forth. To bring a feeling, memory, or sense of awareness into consciousness.

Used in both literal (waking someone) and figurative (evoking memories, rousing public awareness) contexts. Frequently appears in literary, emotional, and public-affairs discourse. Stronger and more literary than 引起 (to cause/trigger).

Examples

1. 这首老歌唤起了他对童年时光的深切思念，令他久久沉浸其中。 This old song brought back his deep longing for childhood, and he stayed immersed in it for a long time.
2. 这次展览旨在唤起公众对濒危野生动物保护问题的广泛关注。 This exhibition aims to raise broad public awareness of protecting endangered wild animals.
3. 演讲结束时，她深情地唤起了大家对先烈们艰辛历史的共同记忆。 At the end of her speech, she movingly evoked everyone's shared memories of the hard years endured by the martyrs.

Usage Guide

Context: literature, public affairs, emotional, speeches

Tone: evocative

Do Say

• 这部纪录片成功唤起了观众对那段被历史遗忘的岁月的深切关注，引发了广泛的社会讨论。(The documentary successfully evoked deep public attention to that era forgotten by history, sparking widespread social discussion.)
• 政府希望通过这次宣传活动唤起市民的环保意识，推动全民参与绿色生活行动。(The government hopes to arouse citizens' environmental awareness through this campaign, encouraging everyone to participate in green living initiatives.)

Don't Say

• 唤起 for purely physical waking — use 叫醒 for waking someone from sleep; 唤起 is reserved for metaphorical arousal or evoking emotional or cognitive states

Origin & History

唤 (call out/summon) + 起 (rise/up, resultative complement) — to call something upward into awareness

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal