TongTong
Sign in

连忙 (lián máng) — promptly, at once, quickly (reacting to a situation)

Definition

连忙 means doing something right away in reaction to a situation, usually as an apology, greeting, or helpful response. It emphasizes the quick reaction more than 马上, which just means 'right away' in general.

adverb
promptlyat oncequickly (reacting to a situation)

Examples

  • ，连忙。
    Kàn dào kè rén lái le, tā lián máng qù kāi mén.
    Seeing that the guest had arrived, he promptly went to open the door.
  • ，连忙。
    Tā fā xiàn cuò le, lián máng xiàng dà jiā dào qiàn.
    Realizing she was wrong, she promptly apologized to everyone.
  • ，连忙。
    Tīng dào diàn huà líng xiǎng, tā lián máng fàng xià shū jiē tīng.
    Hearing the phone ring, he quickly put down his book to answer it.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

连liánin quick succession
忙mángrush

连 (in quick succession) and 忙 (rush) together give promptly.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 連; 连 is its simplified writing.

  • 辶辵chuòto walk
  • 車車jūchariot

The traditional form 連 joins 辶 (walk) and 車 (chariot) to show a man-drawn carriage; this note is about 連, not the simplified 连.

Open 连 →

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
忄Written in full as心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
亡
亡wáng忙máng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

忙 pairs 忄 (heart) with 亡, which gives the sound.

Open 忙 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5

Browse more HSK 5 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.