How to Write 悤 (cōng) — Meaning “hurried”

Imagine you are in a hurry and you look out the window (囪) with your heart (心) beating fast. The character 悤 visually shows a heart under a window, reminding you that a hurried person often feels their heart racing.

The top part 囪 is written like a window: first the outer frame (left vertical, top horizontal, right vertical), then the inner strokes including a small horizontal line. The bottom 心 must be wide and balanced: start with the left dot, then the hook, then the middle dot, then the right dot.

悤 has a window-like top (囪) and means 'hurried', while 怎 has a different top (乍) and means 'how', and 怒 has top 奴 (slave) and means 'angry'. All three share the heart radical, but the top parts are distinct shapes with different meanings.

In modern Chinese, 悤 is rarely used alone; it is mostly seen in traditional texts or in set phrases like 悤悤 (hurriedly). The simplified version 匆 is more common in words like 匆忙 (cōng máng, in a hurry). You may encounter 悤 in classical poetry or calligraphy.

Common words containing 悤 include: 悤悤 (cōng cōng) — hurriedly; 悤忙 (cōng máng) — in a hurry; 忧悤 (yōu cōng) — Worried and hurried.