Definition

1. Verb:
   • To awaken, to alert, to sound an alarm: To cause someone to become suddenly aware of a danger, mistake, or undesirable reality they had previously ignored or been blind to. It implies a strong, often urgent, call to attention.
   • To bring to one's senses: To make someone realize the truth of a situation, especially after a period of error, ignorance, or complacency, prompting them to change their behavior or thinking.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Sự cố này phải cảnh tỉnh mọi người về tầm quan trọng của an toàn. (This incident must alert everyone to the importance of safety.)
  • Lời nói của cô ấy như một hồi chuông cảnh tỉnh anh ta khỏi giấc mộng viển vông. (Her words were like a wake-up call bringing him to his senses from his pipe dream.)
  • Bài báo đó có mục đích cảnh tỉnh công chúng về mối nguy hiểm mới. (That article aims to sound an alarm to the public about the new danger.)

Advanced Usage

• The word is often used metaphorically with imagery of a bell or alarm ("hồi chuông cảnh tỉnh" - a wake-up call, a clarion call).
  • Thất bại đó là hồi chuông cảnh tỉnh cho cả đội. (That failure was a wake-up call for the whole team.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cảnh báo (v): To warn, to caution. This is more general and frequent than "cảnh tỉnh," which carries a stronger sense of awakening from a state of unawareness.
  • Bác sĩ cảnh báo về hậu quả của việc hút thuốc. (The doctor warns about the consequences of smoking.)
• Tỉnh ngộ (v): To come to one's senses, to become enlightened (often after a mistake). This describes the state of the person who has been awakened.
  • Cuối cùng anh ta cũng tỉnh ngộ và nhận ra lỗi lầm. (He finally came to his senses and recognized his mistake.)

Synonyms

• Alert: To warn someone of a danger or problem.
• Wake up: To cause someone to become aware of something (figurative).
• Enlighten: To give someone greater knowledge and understanding about a subject.

Related Idioms

• Hồi chuông cảnh tỉnh: A wake-up call, a clarion call. This is the most common idiomatic phrase associated with the word.
  • Biến đổi khí hậu là hồi chuông cảnh tỉnh cho toàn nhân loại. (Climate change is a wake-up call for all humanity.)

verb

1. To awaken, to open the eyes of
   • lời kêu gọi đó như tiếng chuông cảnh tỉnh những kẻ lầm đường
     that appeal has awakened those who had gone astray