冲 chōng / chòng — to rinse; to collide; to water; to rush; to dash (against); to wash out
他急急忙忙地冲出了教室。Tā jí jí máng máng de chōng chū le jiào shì.He rushed out of the classroom in a hurry.
Common words: 冲突 (chōng tū)、冲动 (chōng dòng)、冲击 (chōng jī)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to rush"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to rush", including 冲 (chōng / chòng), 赶 (gǎn), 促 (cù), 抢 (qiāng / qiǎng), 闯 (chuǎng). Study pinyin…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to rush" covers 5 different Chinese characters — 冲 (chōng / chòng), 赶 (gǎn), 促 (cù), 抢 (qiāng / qiǎng), 闯 (chuǎng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 5 characters do not share a sound — their readings span chōng, chòng, gǎn, cù, qiāng, qiǎng, and more — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 冲 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 冲 chōng / chòngto rinse; to collide; to water; to rush; to dash (against); to wash outUseful words: 冲突, 冲动
- 赶 gǎnto catch up; to overtake; to hurry; to rush; to drive awayUseful words: 赶紧, 赶快
- 促 cùto hurry; to rush; to hasten; near; to promoteUseful words: 促进, 促使
- 抢 qiāng / qiǎngagainst wind; fight over; to rush; to scramble; to grab; to robUseful words: 抢救, 抢劫
- 闯 chuǎngto rush; break throughUseful words: 闯过, 闯进
Common words for these 5 "to rush" characters
Anchor each of these 5 characters in a word you can picture — start with 冲 (chōng / chòng) — so "to rush" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
冲突chōng tūconflict; to conflict; clash of opposing forces; collision (of interests)冲动chōng dòngto have an urge; to be impetuous; impulse; urge冲击chōng jīto attack; to batter; (of waves) to pound against; shock赶紧gǎn jǐnhurriedly; without delay赶快gǎn kuàiquickly; at once赶到gǎn dàoto hurry (to some place)促进cù jìnto promote (an idea or cause); to advance; boost促使cù shǐto prompt; to induce; to spur促销cù xiāoto promote sales抢救qiǎng jiùto rescue
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 5 ways to say "to rush".
赶 gǎn — to catch up; to overtake; to hurry; to rush; to drive away
为了赶火车，他跑得很快。Wèi le gǎn huǒ chē, tā pǎo de hěn kuài.He ran fast to catch the train.
Common words: 赶紧 (gǎn jǐn)、赶快 (gǎn kuài)、赶到 (gǎn dào)
促 cù — to hurry; to rush; to hasten; near; to promote
老师的鼓励促使我更加努力。Lǎo shī de gǔ lì cù shǐ wǒ gèng jiā nǔ lì.The teacher encouragement prompted me to work even harder.
Common words: 促进 (cù jìn)、促使 (cù shǐ)、促销 (cù xiāo)
抢 qiāng / qiǎng — against wind; fight over; to rush; to scramble; to grab; to rob
大家不要抢，请排队购买。Dà jiā bú yào qiǎng, qǐng pái duì gòu mǎi.Everyone, do not push; please line up to buy.
Common words: 抢救 (qiǎng jiù)、抢劫 (qiǎng jié)、抢夺 (qiǎng duó)
闯 chuǎng — to rush; break through
过马路时千万不能闯红灯。Guò mǎ lù shí qiān wàn bù néng chuǎng hóng dēng.When crossing the road, you must never run a red light.
Common words: 闯过 (chuǎng guò)、闯进 (chuǎng jìn)、闯关 (chuǎng guān)
All 5 characters
Open 冲、赶、促 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.