bring to mind

bring to mind — idiom

1. to cause someone to remember or think of a person, thing, or event from the past

1.慣用語B2
釋義

to cause someone to remember or think of a person, thing, or event from the past — for example, a smell that takes you back to your grandmother's house, or an old song that suddenly makes you recall a happy moment from years ago.

例句

The old photographs brought to mind Wei's childhood summers in Tainan.

brought to mind + [person/possessive] + childhood / past time

Amina's cooking always brings to mind her grandmother's kitchen in Zanzibar.

always brings to mind — habitual with present tense

同義詞
  • remind of

    more general; 'remind of' can be about tasks or facts, while 'bring to mind' is more about memories or associations

  • evoke

    more formal; 'evoke' often suggests a strong emotional response

  • call to mind

    very similar meaning but slightly more formal; less common in everyday speech

反義詞
  • forget

    opposite meaning — pushing a memory away rather than recalling it

文法句型

bring + something/someone + to mind

bring to mind + something/someone

be brought to mind

用法筆記

The object can appear after 'bring' ('bring her to mind') or after 'to mind' ('bring to mind the old days'). The passive form is also common: 'I was brought to mind of my grandmother by the smell of cinnamon.' Frequently used with sensory triggers (a smell, a sound, a photograph) that spark a memory.

常見錯誤

❌That song brings to mind me of my childhood.
✅That song brings to mind my childhood.
💡'bring to mind' is not followed by 'of'; use 'bring something to mind' directly.
❌I brought to mind her face when I saw the drawing.
✅The drawing brought to mind her face.
💡the trigger is the subject, not the person experiencing the memory.