火速

• Pinyin: huǒ sù
• Hanzi breakdown: 火 = pictograph of flames (fire, implying unrestrained rapidity and urgency); 速 = 辶+ 束 (movement/road radical + bundle, speed — moving with concentrated, directed force)

Meaning

At lightning speed; with extreme urgency and rapidity. Describes actions taken or orders executed with the greatest possible haste, especially in emergencies.

火速 is an intensifying adverb meaning 'as fast as fire' — describing the extreme urgency with which something is done. It appears frequently in military, emergency, and official contexts: 火速赶赴现场 (rush to the scene with all urgency), 火速处理 (handle with immediate urgency), 火速支援 (rush support immediately). It conveys both speed and the critical importance of the situation.

Examples

1. 接到求救信号后，救援队火速赶赴事故现场，在最短的时间内完成了对所有被困人员的搜救工作。 After receiving the distress signal, the rescue team rushed to the accident site and completed the search and rescue of everyone trapped in the shortest possible time.
2. 总指挥部火速下达命令，要求前线部队立即调整部署，抢在敌方增援抵达之前完成战略包围。 The general headquarters issued orders at once, telling the frontline troops to adjust their deployment immediately and complete the strategic encirclement before enemy reinforcements arrived.
3. 眼看洪水水位持续上涨，地方政府火速启动应急预案，组织数万名群众有序撤离至安全地带。 As floodwaters kept rising, the local government rapidly activated its emergency plan and organized the orderly evacuation of tens of thousands of residents to safe areas.

Usage Guide

Context: military, emergency, government, urgent situations

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 气象部门发出红色预警后，交通部门火速协调资源，在公路沿线设防洪带，并让应急车队待命。(After the meteorological department issued a red alert, the transport authority quickly coordinated resources, set up flood barriers along the roads, and kept emergency convoys on standby.)
• 接到器官移植通知后，医疗团队火速出发，把器官安全送到医院，为患者争取了宝贵时间。(After receiving the organ transplant notice, the medical team set off at once and delivered the organ safely to the hospital, buying the patient precious time.)

Don't Say

• 火速 for a leisurely or routine quick action — use 迅速 or 快速 for general speed; 火速 specifically implies an emergency or critically urgent situation requiring immediate maximum-speed response

Origin & History

火 (fire) + 速 (speed/fast) — 'fire speed'; the metaphor of fire's rapid and unstoppable spread describes extreme urgency; a common intensifying compound used when ordinary speed is insufficient

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal