TongTong
Sign in

急于 (jí yú) — to be eager to; to be in a hurry to

Definition

急于 focuses on the eager, impatient mindset of a subject ('eager to, in a hurry to do'). 急需 is about urgently needing a thing, not a person's frame of mind.

verb
to be eager toto be in a hurry to

Examples

  • 急于，。
    Bié jí yú duì bié rén fā huǒ, xiān lěng jìng yí xià.
    Don't be eager to get angry at others; calm down first.
  • 急于，。
    Tā jí yú huí jiā, lián fàn dōu méi chī jiù zǒu le.
    He was in such a hurry to go home that he left without even eating.
  • 急于，。
    Wǒ men bú yào jí yú zuò chū jié lùn, hái xū yào gèng duō zhèng jù.
    We shouldn't be in a hurry to draw a conclusion; we still need more evidence.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

急jíeager
于yúto

急 expresses eagerness, while 于 points to the action one is eager to undertake.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
及
及jí急jí
Same sound today

急 pairs 心 (heart) with 及, which gives the sound.

Open 急 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 一一yīflat stream of air
  • 丂丂kǎoto exhale

The old shape of 于 may have pictured an ancient wind instrument. Another explanation reads 一 as a flat stream of air and 丂 as an exhaling mark.

Open 于 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Will & Intention

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.