Chinese word

紧急

Pronunciation

Pinyinjǐn jí

Meaning

  • adjectiveurgent

Example

请快走，情况紧急。qǐng kuài zǒu qíng kuàng jǐn jí

Please leave quickly; the situation is urgent.

Illustration for 紧急 (urgent)

More examples

火灾时，请从紧急出口撤离。huǒ zāi shí qǐng cóng jǐn jí chū kǒu chè lí

During a fire, please evacuate through the emergency exit.

Core concept

A situation is under such strong time pressure that action cannot wait.

Common phrases

  • 紧急出口jǐn jí chū kǒu

    emergency exit

  • 紧急情况jǐn jí qíng kuàng

    emergency situation

  • 紧急通知jǐn jí tōng zhī

    emergency notice

Similar words

急jí: Requiring quick action because there is very little time.
重要zhòng yào: Having great importance or influence on the result, so it deserves priority.

Definition in Chinese

表示需要立刻处理、不能拖延的紧迫状态或性质，常用于事故、医疗、救援或重要通知等场合biǎo shì xū yào lì kè chú lǐ bù néng tuō yán de jǐn pò zhuàng tài huò xìng zhì cháng yòng yú shì gù yī liáo jiù yuán huò zhòng yào tōng zhī děng chǎng hé

Word origin

紧 (jǐn, "tight") + 急 (jí, "urgent") joins the ideas of being tightly pressed and needing speed, giving the compound its sense of action that cannot be delayed.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, 紧急 (jǐnjí, "urgent") sounds serious and somewhat official, so using it for a small delay can make the situation sound more severe than intended.

Other meanings

  • direadjective

Word lists with this word