催

• 병음: cuī
• 한자 분석: 催 = 亻(person) + 崔 (phonetic, pressing)

뜻

재촉하다; 독촉하다

Very common in everyday speech. Can be neutral (reminding about deadlines) or slightly negative (nagging). Also appears in compounds like 催促 (urge), 催眠 (hypnotize), 催泪 (tear-inducing).

예문

1. 老板一直催我交报告，搞得我压力很大。
2. 别催了，我正在弄呢！
3. 她催着孩子们快点吃完早餐去上学。

사용 가이드

맥락: everyday, work, deadlines

어조: urgent

올바른 표현

• 客户又在催货了。(The client is pressing for the goods again.)
• 别催我，我知道了。(Don't rush me; I know.)

피해야 할 표현

• 我催他慢慢来 (Contradictory — 催 means to hurry, which contradicts 慢慢来)

기원과 역사

Originally meant 'to pound/strike' (related to 摧), evolved to mean pressing or urging someone to act.

문화적 배경

세대: All ages

사회적 배경: Universal