Chinese word

急

Pronunciation

Pinyinjí

Meaning

  • verbhurry

Example

别急，我们还有时间。bié jí wǒ men hái yǒu shí jiān

Don't hurry; we still have time.

Illustration for 急 (hurry)

More examples

看到父母没回家，孩子急着打电话。kàn dào fù mǔ méi huí jiā hái zi jí zhe dǎ diàn huà

When the child saw that their parents had not come home, they hurried to call.

Core concept

Limited time turns inner concern into faster movement or pressure on others.

Common phrases

  • 别急bié jí

    don't hurry

  • 急着准备jí zhe zhǔn bèi

    hurry to prepare

Similar words

赶紧gán jǐn: Act promptly, without delay, to do something or deal with a matter.
赶快gǎn kuài: Urge immediate action so that something is done without waiting.
快点儿kuài diǎnr: Urge someone, in a brief colloquial way, to move or act faster.

Definition in Chinese

表示在时间紧迫或想尽快完成某事时加快动作或催促他人的行为或状态。biǎo shì zài shí jiān jǐn pò huò xiǎng jǐn kuài wán chéng mǒu shì shí jiā kuài dòng zuò huò cuī cù tā rén de xíng wéi huò zhuàng tài

Word origin

急 (jí, "hurry") combines 心 (xīn, "heart") with 及 (jí, "reach"); 心 shows the feeling, while 及 supplies the sound, giving the character its urgent sense.

Usage tips

  • English often separates rushing from worry, but this word can describe a worried state before any movement starts, so the situation does not always involve fast action.

Other meanings

  • be impatientverb
  • panicverb
  • worryverb

Related words

Word lists with this word