催促

• Pinyin: cuī cù
• Hanzi breakdown: 催 = 亻+ 崔 (to urge); 促 = 亻+ 足 (to hasten)

Meaning

To urge; to press; to hasten. A verb meaning to repeatedly push someone to act faster or complete something.

More formal and slightly stronger than 催 alone. Often used in written contexts or when describing persistent urging. Common in business communication about deadlines and deliverables.

Examples

1. 领导不断催促我们加快项目进度。 The leader keeps urging us to speed up the project progress.
2. 妈妈在门口催促着，让我们赶紧出发。 Mom stood at the door urging us to hurry up and leave.
3. 在各方催促下，调查报告终于提前完成了。 Under pressure from all parties, the investigation report was finally completed ahead of schedule.

Usage Guide

Context: work, deadlines, formal

Tone: pressing

Do Say

• 请不要催促我。(Please don't rush me.)
• 我们在催促供应商尽快发货。(We're urging the supplier to ship as soon as possible.)

Don't Say

• 他轻松地催促我放松 (Contradictory — 催促 implies pressure, which contradicts 轻松 and 放松)

Origin & History

Compound of 催 (to urge) + 促 (to hasten, urge). Both characters mean to press/urge, creating emphasis.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal