催 (cuī) - To urge & to press

催Tone 1

cuī ｜ 13 strokes ｜ radical:

橙丁

催 · cuī

To urge;

to press;

to hasten;

to expedite;

to prompt someone to act quickly.

To urgeto pressto hasten

Usage highlights

To urge paymentTo urge repaymentTo urge progressTo hasten growthTo induce laborTo press for an answer

Synonyms

  • 促— to urge; to hasten
  • 逼— to force; to compel
  • 督促— to supervise and urge

Antonyms

  • 缓— to slow down; to delay
  • 拖— to drag; to procrastinate
  • 延— to postpone; to defer

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He urged me to finish the work quickly (催我快点完成工作).
  • The alarm clock wakes me up every morning (闹钟每天早上催我起床).
  • The company is pressing for payment (公司催款).
  • This medicine helps induce labor (这种药可以催产).

Collocations

  • To urge payment(催款)
  • To urge repayment(催债)
  • To urge progress(催进度)
  • To hasten growth(催生)
  • To induce labor(催产)
  • To press for an answer(催问)

Idioms

  • Urging the guest to drink(催客举杯)
  • Hasten the years and months(催年促月)
  • Urging blossoms to bloom(催花未开)
  • Pressing for rent and taxes(催租逼税)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In traditional agricultural society, '催' was often associated with official pressure for tax collection.
  • The character embodies a sense of urgency and external pressure, common in social and bureaucratic contexts.
  • It is used in modern contexts for reminders and prompts, such as alarm clocks (闹钟催) or payment reminders.

FAQ