呼救

• Pinyin: hū jiù
• Hanzi breakdown: 呼 = 口 (mouth) + 乎 (phonetic) — to call out; 救 = 求 (seek) + 攴 (strike, action radical) — to rescue

Meaning

To call for help; to cry for rescue. Shouting or signalling for emergency assistance when in danger.

Primarily used in emergency and disaster contexts. 发出呼救信号 (to send out a distress signal) and 呼救声 (cries for help) are common collocations. Can be literal (shouting) or involve signals or devices.

Examples

1. 溺水者拼命挥手呼救，幸好岸上的救生员及时发现并迅速跳入水中将其救起。 The drowning person desperately waved for help; luckily, the lifeguard on shore spotted them in time and jumped in to pull them out.
2. 被困矿井深处的工人通过敲击管道发出有规律的呼救信号，最终引导救援队找到了他们。 Trapped deep in the mine shaft, the workers sent a steady, rhythmic distress signal by banging on a pipe, which ultimately guided the rescue team to them.
3. 她用最后一格电量拨出了呼救电话，将自己的位置告知了急救中心。 With her phone down to its last bit of battery, she made an emergency call and gave the dispatch center her location.

Usage Guide

Context: emergency, disaster, rescue, safety

Tone: urgent

Do Say

• 地震发生后，废墟中仍有幸存者在断断续续地发出呼救声，救援人员争分夺秒，全力搜寻每一个生命迹象。(After the earthquake, survivors in the rubble continued to cry out for help intermittently; rescue workers raced against the clock, searching with all their might for any sign of life.)
• 徒步者在偏远山区迷路时，应优先使用哨子或反光镜等工具发出呼救信号，而非消耗体力大声喊叫。(When hikers become lost in remote mountainous areas, they should prioritise using tools such as whistles or signal mirrors to call for help, rather than expending energy shouting.)

Don't Say

• 呼救 for non-emergency situations where one merely needs assistance — use 求助 for general help-seeking; 呼救 specifically connotes a life-threatening or urgent emergency

Origin & History

呼 (call out; cry) + 救 (rescue; save) — to cry out for rescue

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal