Abstract: The awakening modes of Chinese literature originated from the consciousness of intellectuals seeking to save their nation. Such awakening in late Qing aimed to wake up the Chinese people so that their nation could be saved. Therefore, the awakening of individuals was incorporated into the awakening of the nation. Chinese literature was distinguished between awakening the nation and awakening individuals due to the May 4^th Movement in 1919, and the awakening of individuals was the goal then. The awakening modes in late Qing literature and the literature of the May 4^th Movement differ in terms of content, methods, and targets. However, both embrace the spiritual core of intellectuals seeking to save their nation. The continuity of the awakening mode between the late Qing and the May 4^th Movement lies in the continuous consciousness of saving the nation, while the different connotations are directly related to the consecutive failures of the Hundred Days of Reform in 1898 and the Xinhai Revolution in 1911. The failures intensified the intellectuals’ anxiety out of Chinese national character. The intensification of the anxiety prompted and reflected the intellectuals’ transformation of value system, and the fundamental reason for the evolution of the awakening mode in Chinese literature lies in the transformation of value system. This transformation propelled the modern transformation of Chinese literature, and subsequently led to the emergence of modern Chinese literature.