警钟 jǐngzhōng alarm bell
How to remember 警钟: 警 guard + 钟 clock = alarm bell.
Characters
How it is used
- An alarm bell, almost always figurative - 敲响警钟 (qiāoxiǎng jǐngzhōng) to sound the alarm / serve as a wake-up call.
- Used metaphorically for a warning that demands attention, e.g. an incident that 'rings alarm bells'.
- Written/formal; the fixed collocation 敲响…警钟 is the way it usually appears.