匆 (cōng) — (bound form) hurried; urgent
Definition
匆 is a bound morpheme that only appears inside set compounds (匆匆, 匆忙, 匆促) — never as a standalone word. It always carries the sense of 'hurried, rushed'.
bound form
hurriedurgent
Examples
- ，。Tā zǒu dé fēi cháng cōng máng, lián shǒu jī dōu wàng le ná.He left in such a hurry that he even forgot his phone.
- 匆。Qǐng bú yào cōng cù zuò jué dìng.Please don't make a hasty decision.
- 。Tā kàn qǐ lái hěn cōng máng.He looks very hurried.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
Sound part声符shēngfú
囪
囪cōng匆cōng
Same sound today
The current 匆 comes from a form that paired 囪 for sound with 心 for meaning; the 心 part was dropped, and part of 囪 was left out.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.