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着急 (zháo jí) — to worry, to feel anxious, to be in a hurry

Definition

着急 (zháo jí) describes the personal feeling of being worried or anxious, often about a situation. It's more emotional than 急 jí, which is closer to 'urgent / hurried'.

adjective
to worryto feel anxiousto be in a hurry

Examples

  • 着急，。
    Bié zháo jí, wǒ mǎ shàng jiù lái.
    Don't worry, I'll be right there.
  • 着急。
    Tā kǎo shì qián hěn zháo jí.
    He was very anxious before the exam.
  • ，着急。
    Shí jiān hái zǎo, bú yòng zháo jí.
    It's still early, no need to rush.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

着zheundergo
急jíanxiety

着 means to catch or undergo, and 急 is anxiousness.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 著; 着 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艸艸cǎograss; plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě著zháo
Same sound today

The traditional form 著 puts 艸 (grass; plant) above 者, which gives the sound; the simplified 着 is a later shorthand.

Open 着 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 3HSK 2.0 Level 3Emotions & Feelings5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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