Meaning
着急 describes a state of anxiety, worry, or urgency. It conveys feeling rushed, concerned, or impatient about something that needs to happen or might go wrong. The word combines 着 (indicating a state) with 急 (urgent/anxious) to express both emotional distress and time pressure.
Usage
Native speakers use 着急 in everyday conversation to describe feeling worried or rushed. It can describe both emotional anxiety (worrying about outcomes) and practical urgency (being in a hurry). Common in phrases like 别着急 (don't worry/don't rush) to calm someone down. More colloquial and common in spoken Chinese than formal alternatives.
Examples
- 01别着急，我们还有时间。, .Don't worry, we still have time.
- 02她看到孩子还没回来，心里很着急。, .She felt very anxious when she saw that the child hadn't come back yet.
Characters
Common collocations
- 别着急don't worry, don't rush
- 着急上火to get anxious and upset
- 不着急not worried, not in a hurry
- 为...着急...to worry about/for...
Antonyms
Origin
The character 着 here indicates being in a state or condition, while 急 means urgent or anxious. Together they form a word meaning to be in a state of urgency or anxiety.