紧迫

jǐn pò · HSK 7

urgent

⏰ 紧 tight + 迫 press = a tight deadline pressing on you = urgent

紧 — 臣 minister + 又 hand on top + 糸 silk below
Originally written 緊, this character combines 臤 (a hand 又 grasping firmly, with 臣 as phonetic) over 糸 'silk thread'. The image is of silk threads pulled taut by hand, giving the core meaning 'tight, taut'. From there it extended to 'urgent' and 'pressing'.

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