(cuī) — to urge, to press, to rush (someone)

Definition

催 (cuī) is a short, transitive verb: a person 催s another to do something faster ('urge, rush'). Unlike 促使 it takes a person object, and unlike 怂恿 it has no negative connotation — it can be neutral or even friendly.

verb
to urgeto pressto rush (someone)

Examples

  • Mā ma cuī wǒ zǎo diǎn huí jiā.
    Mom urged me to go home early.
  • Lǎo shī cuī wǒ men jiāo zuò yè.
    The teacher urged us to hand in our homework.
  • Bié cuī le, wǒ mǎ shàng jiù lái.
    Don't rush me, I'll come right away.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
Written in full asrénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
cuīcuī
Same sound today

催 combines 亻, the person part, with 崔, which gives the sound.

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