呼唤

• Pinyin: hū huàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 呼 = 口 (mouth) + 乎 (phonetic) — to call out; 唤 = 口 (mouth) + 奂 (phonetic) — to summon

Meaning

To call out to; to summon; to appeal to. Both the act of calling someone's name and the figurative sense of a deep inner appeal or urgent social demand.

Used literally for calling to a person and figuratively for a strong internal or societal call — such as 良知的呼唤 (the call of conscience) or 时代的呼唤 (the call of the era). Carries an emotional or solemn tone in literary usage.

Examples

1. 她在雾气弥漫的山路上大声呼唤走散的孩子，声音中充满了焦急与不安。 On the fog-shrouded mountain road, she shouted for the child who had gotten separated, her voice full of anxiety and unease.
2. 这场灾难再次呼唤人们重新审视人与自然之间的关系，思考可持续发展的深刻意义。 This disaster once again calls on people to reexamine the relationship between humanity and nature and to reflect on the deeper meaning of sustainable development.
3. 历史在呼唤每一个有责任感的公民挺身而出，共同守护来之不易的社会公正。 History is calling on every responsible citizen to step forward and help safeguard hard-won social justice.

Usage Guide

Context: literature, social discourse, emotional appeal, literal calling

Tone: solemn

Do Say

• 在全球气候危机日益严峻的今天，无数科学家和社会活动家的声音汇聚成一声强烈的呼唤，督促各国政府立刻采取切实行动。(As the global climate crisis intensifies, the voices of countless scientists and social activists have united into a powerful appeal, urging governments around the world to take immediate and concrete action.)
• 母亲站在院门口轻声呼唤已在外玩耍整个下午的孩子回家吃饭，那声音里满是温柔与牵挂。(The mother stood at the courtyard gate and softly called out to her child who had been playing outside all afternoon, her voice full of warmth and loving concern.)

Don't Say

• 呼唤 as a neutral synonym for 叫 in simple everyday requests — 叫某人 means to call someone casually; 呼唤 implies emotional weight, urgency, or literary register and sounds unnatural in mundane contexts

Origin & History

呼 (call out) + 唤 (summon; call) — both components carry the meaning of calling, creating an emphatic compound

Cultural Context

Era: Traditional to Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal