急促 (jí cù) is an adjective meaning 'rapid', 'hurried', or 'breathless'—especially describing physical rhythms like breathing, heartbeat, footsteps, or speech. The first character 急 means 'urgent' or 'anxious', suggesting intensity and lack of pause; the second 促 means 'to urge' or 'to hasten', reinforcing speed and compression in time. Together, they form a compound that emphasizes not just speed but also tension, urgency, and often physiological strain.

This word is commonly used in health-related contexts—such as describing labored breathing during illness or exercise—or in literary descriptions of anxiety, panic, or excitement. It rarely modifies abstract nouns (e.g., '急促 ideas') and is almost always paired with concrete, rhythmic phenomena: 呼吸 (breathing), 心跳 (heartbeat), 步伐 (pace), 脚步 (footsteps), or 语速 (speech rate). It carries a slightly negative or tense connotation, implying discomfort or pressure rather than neutral swiftness.