号召 (hàozhào) — to call on; appeal

号召 (hàozhào)

号召 means to publicly call on or appeal to people to take action, and also refers to such a call or appeal itself, often used in political, social, and organizational contexts.

Meanings

1. [verb] to call on; to appeal to; to rally (people to a cause or action)
2. [noun] a call; an appeal; a rallying cry

Example Sentences

政府号召全体公民积极参与环保行动。 Zhèngfǔ hàozhào quántǐ gōngmín jījí cānyù huánbǎo xíngdòng. The government called on all citizens to actively participate in environmental protection.

领导人发出号召，呼吁各国团结合作。 Lǐngdǎorén fāchū hàozhào, hūyù gè guó tuánjié hézuò. The leader issued a call, appealing to all nations to unite and cooperate.

这场运动是响应政府号召而发起的。 Zhè chǎng yùndòng shì xiǎngyìng zhèngfǔ hàozhào ér fāqǐ de. This movement was launched in response to the government's call.

他号召同学们为灾区捐款捐物。 Tā hàozhào tóngxuémen wèi zāiqū juānkuǎn juān wù. He called on his classmates to donate money and supplies for the disaster area.

社区领袖号召居民共同维护公共卫生。 Shèqū lǐngxiù hàozhào jūmín gòngtóng wéihù gōnggòng wèishēng. Community leaders called on residents to jointly maintain public hygiene.

响应号召，数千名志愿者涌入救灾现场。 Xiǎngyìng hàozhào, shùqiān míng zhìyuàn zhě yǒng rù jiùzāi xiànchǎng. In response to the call, thousands of volunteers flooded into the disaster relief site.

Collocations

Usage Notes

号召 implies a public, authoritative call to action, typically from a leader, organization, or government. It is more formal and collective in nature than 建议 (suggest) or 劝说 (persuade). The noun form 号召力 means "the power to rally people" or "mass appeal," and is commonly used to describe influential leaders.

Compare with 呼吁 (hūyù), which is also a call to action but often implies more urgency or moral weight and can be used by individuals, not just authorities.

Memory Hook

号 means "signal/cry" and 召 means "to summon." 号召 is to cry out and summon people -- like a general sounding the bugle to rally the troops.