急
Character Story & Explanation
急 is ubiquitous in modern Chinese: it appears in official warnings ('紧急出口' — emergency exit), medical contexts ('急诊' — emergency department), and daily speech ('别急' — 'don’t rush'). A famous idiom is 急功近利 (jí gōng jìn lì), meaning 'eager for quick success and immediate profit', often used critically in education or business discourse. This phrase dates back to Ming-Qing philosophical texts critiquing impatience in moral cultivation.
The character’s earliest attested form appears in seal script (c. 3rd century BCE), where the upper component resembled 'cutting grass' (刍), symbolizing swift action, and the lower 心 emphasized emotional intensity. No oracle bone form survives, but by the Han dynasty, 急 was standard in administrative documents describing time-sensitive orders.
Hi students! The character 急 (jí) means 'urgent' or 'impatient' — it’s a core word for expressing time pressure, anxiety, or strong desire. It appears early in HSK 3 because you’ll need it to talk about deadlines, emergencies, or even emotions like restlessness. Notice its radical is 心 (xīn), meaning 'heart' — reminding us that urgency is deeply tied to our feelings and inner state, not just external clocks.
This character has nine strokes and follows a clear structure: the top part (刍) suggests speed or haste (historically linked to 'cutting grass quickly'), while the bottom 心 grounds it in emotion. When writing, remember the stroke order: start with the horizontal stroke on top, then work downward and left-to-right — practicing slowly builds muscle memory and accuracy.
Don’t confuse 急 with similar-sounding words like 疾 (jí, 'illness') or 即 (jí, 'immediately'). While they share pronunciation, their meanings and radicals differ sharply. 急 always carries emotional weight — it’s how you’d say 'I’m in a hurry!' (我急！) or 'It’s urgent!' (很急！). Mastering it helps you sound natural, not textbook-perfect.
Example Sentences
Common Compounds
Similar Characters — Don't Mix These Up
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