督促

• Pinyin: dū cù
• Hanzi breakdown: 督 = 叔 + 目 (eye overseeing); 促 = 亻(person) + 足 (foot) — one person hurrying another forward

Meaning

To supervise and urge; to press someone to complete a task; to oversee and push forward progress.

Implies active monitoring combined with encouragement or pressure. Used by supervisors, parents, or authorities to ensure tasks are completed on time. More formal than 催 (urge) and implies systematic oversight rather than a one-off prompt.

Examples

1. 主管每天督促团队成员按时提交工作报告。 The manager urges team members every day to submit their work reports on time.
2. 父母应当适度督促孩子完成学业，而非一味施压。 Parents should urge their children to finish their studies in moderation, rather than constantly putting on pressure.
3. 项目负责人受命督促各部门加快推进施工进度。 The project lead was tasked with pushing all departments to speed up construction.

Usage Guide

Context: management, education, governance

Tone: authoritative

Do Say

• 政府已派专项小组督促地方落实各项环保措施。(The government has dispatched a special task force to press local authorities to implement environmental protection measures.)
• 他经常督促下属提升业务能力，不允许团队停滞不前。(He frequently urges his subordinates to improve their professional skills, tolerating no stagnation in the team.)

Don't Say

• 督促时间 — 督促 takes a person or organization as object, not an abstract concept; say 节约时间 or 抓紧时间 instead

Origin & History

督 (supervise/oversee) + 促 (urge/hasten)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal