TongTong
Sign in

督促 (dū cù) — to urge (someone) to complete a task; to supervise and push for progress

Definition

督促 focuses on pushing someone to finish a task or meet a deadline, with ongoing supervision; 催 is briefer and more about pressuring, while 催促 is a more general ‘urge (someone to do something).'

verb
to urge (someone) to complete a taskto supervise and push for progress

Examples

  • 督促。
    Jīng lǐ dū cù tuán duì àn shí wán chéng xiàng mù.
    The manager urged the team to complete the project on time.
  • 督促。
    Zhèng fǔ dū cù shì mín zūn shǒu jiāo tōng guī zé.
    The government urges citizens to follow traffic rules.
  • 督促。
    Mā ma měi tiān dōu zài dū cù wǒ zuò zuò yè.
    Mom urges me to do my homework every day.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

督dūsupervise
促cùurge

督 and 促 both mean to urge or press someone; together they mean to supervise and urge progress.

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
目目mùeye
Sound part声符shēngfú
叔
叔shū督dū
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

督 pairs 目 (eye) with 叔, which gives the sound; the shape shows looking over or overseeing with eyes.

Open 督 →

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
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
足
足zú促cù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

促 pairs 亻 (person, written 人 when complete) with 足, which helps show its sound.

Open 促 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Management

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