This article is reproduced from "Azewai English Notes", authorized

May 4th is China's Youth Day, which originated from the May 4th Movement in 1919 and is an important event in modern history. In English, the May Fourth Movement is called The May Fourth Movement.

In addition to movement, there is another word campaign in English, which is often translated into Chinese as "movement", but it cannot be used to refer to a "movement" like the May Fourth Movement.

Although both are called "movement" in Chinese, the origin, meaning, and usage of movement and campaign are quite different. Movement is mainly used to refer to a spontaneous "movement" without strict organization, while campaign refers to a "movement" with clear goals and plans.

Movement

Movement comes from the verb move, which is essentially a metaphor, using the figurative "movement" to describe the abstract "change and change".

In the Oxford Dictionary, the definition of movement is:

a group of people who share the same ideas or aims
A group of people who share the same views and goals.

Relevant examples include:

The women's movement

movement for women's rights

The peace movement

movement for peace, against war

The Romantic Movement

Romantic movement, referring to the literary and intellectual changes that took place throughout Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries

It can be seen that the English word "movement" emphasizes "crowd", while the Chinese word "movement" seems to refer to "events and trends"; if you look closely, the meanings of the two are slightly different, and they are not exactly the same.

Campaign

Movement is mainly used to refer to spontaneous, unorganized "movements", usually lacking centralized and unified control, so it is relatively loose, and it focuses on changes in people's ideology.

In contrast, campaign is derived from the "battle" in the military field. The original meaning refers to a series of battles (battles) to achieve a certain goal. For example, during World War II, there was the North African campaign and the D-Day Campaign.

In today's English, campaign is more used to refer to a series of events that are organized, planned, and have a clear goal, which is equivalent to the figurative usage of the military term campaign. The definition in the dictionary is:

A series of planned activities that are intended to achieve a particular social, commercial or political aim
A series of planned and planned activities aimed at achieving a specific goal, including social, commercial, and political goals.

Examples include:

An anti-smoking campaign

campaign to limit and ban smoking

The anti-corruption campaign

campaign against corruption

Today police launched a campaign to reduce road accidents.

The police have taken a series of measures to try to reduce the number of traffic accidents.

In addition, the product promotion of commercial companies can also be called an advertising campaign. All kinds of election activities are also called campaigns.

The essential distinction between the two

There is a saying that movement mainly refers to social movements, while campaign mainly refers to political movements. In fact, the difference between these two "sports" is not exactly the same.

Whether a "movement" is called a movement or a campaign mainly depends on the effort and investment in planning and organization, and whether the plan is strictly followed in the actual implementation process.

Compared with campaign, although movement lacks precise planning and institutional support, it is rooted in people's thoughts and mentality, has stronger spontaneity, has a wider scope of influence, and produces more lasting and far-reaching effects.

Movement and campaign can be understood as two different perspectives. The same thing can be regarded as both a movement and a campaign; sometimes, a movement may contain one or more campaigns.

Another thing to note is that movement is just an abstract concept, and there is no difference between good and bad.

In addition to progressive movements such as the May Fourth Movement, there will also be conservative movements; Fascism in the first half of the 20th century was often referred to as the Fascist movement back then.