The present invention discloses a method and system for transmitting an ETWS primary notification message. After paging a terminal through a paging message containing ETWS message indication information, a base station schedules the ETWS primary notification message as user data in a sub-frame subsequent to a sub-frame with the paging message and generates control information containing an ETWS ID and resource information on a DL-SCH assigned for the primary notification message of the ETWS; the base station sends the control information over a PDCCH and sends the primary notification message of the ETWS over the DL-SCH based on the control information; and after receiving the paging message, the terminal detects and analyzes the control information containing the ETWS ID by monitoring the PDCCH to obtain the resource information thereof, and receives the ETWS primary notification message on corresponding resources of the DL-SCH based on the resource information.