催

cuī

亻 + 崔

HSK 2.0Level 5

HSK 3.0Level 5

Definitions

cuī (verb) to urge; to press; to rush; to hasten

Etymology phono-semantic

person

Semantic: 亻 Phonetic: 崔

About

催 is a phono-semantic compound: the person radical 亻 (rén) on the left provides a semantic link to human interaction, while the right-side component 崔 (cuī) supplies the pronunciation. 崔 originally means a high, towering mountain, but here it functions purely for its sound. The character primarily means to urge or press someone to hurry up and complete a task. This meaning extends to any action that hastens a process, demands prompt fulfillment of an obligation, or accelerates natural events through external intervention, as in pressing for payment or expediting a delivery.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

妈妈催我起床。

Māma cuī wǒ qǐchuáng.

Mom urges me to get up.

老师催我们交作业。

Lǎoshī cuī wǒmen jiāo zuòyè.

The teacher urges us to hand in our homework.

公司在催促项目进度。

Gōngsī zài cuīcù xiàngmù jìndù.

The company is urging the project progress.

春雨催生了新芽。

Chūnyǔ cuīshēng le xīnyá.

The spring rain promoted the growth of new buds.

他不停地催我做出决定。

Tā bùtíng de cuī wǒ zuò chū juédìng.

He keeps urging me to make a decision.

这种药物能催化化学反应。

Zhè zhǒng yàowù néng cuīhuà huàxué fǎnyìng.

This kind of drug can catalyze chemical reactions.

为了按时完成，经理每天催我们加班。

Wèile ànshí wánchéng, jīnglǐ měitiān cuī wǒmen jiābān.

In order to complete on time, the manager urges us to work overtime every day.

经济压力催生了新的消费模式。

Jīngjì yālì cuīshēng le xīn de xiāofèi móshì.

Economic pressure has given rise to new consumption patterns.

Related Characters

Component: 亻

Component: 崔

催