督促 (dūcù)

督促 means to urge or prompt someone to fulfill a responsibility or complete a task, often with an element of supervision and follow-up.

Meanings

[verb] to urge; to supervise and push; to prompt someone to act

Example Sentences

老师每天督促学生按时完成作业。 Lǎoshī měitiān dūcù xuéshēng ànshí wánchéng zuòyè. The teacher urges students every day to complete homework on time.

家长应该督促孩子养成良好的学习习惯。 Jiāzhǎng yīnggāi dūcù háizi yǎngchéng liánghǎo de xuéxí xíguàn. Parents should urge children to develop good study habits.

经理不断督促团队加快项目进度，以便按时交付。 Jīnglǐ bùduàn dūcù tuánduì jiākuài xiàngmù jìndù, yǐbiàn ànshí jiāofù. The manager kept urging the team to speed up the project so it could be delivered on time.

政府督促企业尽快落实环保措施。 Zhèngfǔ dūcù qǐyè jǐnkuài luòshí huánbǎo cuòshī. The government urged enterprises to implement environmental protection measures as soon as possible.

她在家人的督促下，终于下决心去看医生。 Tā zài jiārén de dūcù xià, zhōngyú xià juéxīn qù kàn yīshēng. Under her family's urging, she finally made up her mind to see a doctor.

监管部门督促银行加强风险管控工作。 Jiānguǎn bùmén dūcù yínháng jiāqiáng fēngxiǎn guǎnkòng gōngzuò. The regulatory authority urged banks to strengthen risk management.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
督促完成 (dūcù wánchéng)	to urge to complete
督促整改 (dūcù zhènggǎi)	to urge rectification
不断督促 (bùduàn dūcù)	to constantly urge
在……督促下 (zài...dūcù xià)	under the urging of...
督促落实 (dūcù luòshí)	to urge implementation
督促检查 (dūcù jiǎnchá)	to supervise and inspect

Usage Notes

督促 implies an ongoing or repeated act of urging with some supervisory authority behind it. It is stronger than 建议 (jiànyì, to suggest) and softer than 命令 (mìnglìng, to order). The person doing the urging typically has authority over or responsibility for the person being urged.

Compare with 催促 (cuīcù), which means to hurry someone up and focuses on the urgency of speed, while 督促 carries more of a supervisory and guiding connotation.

Memory Hook

督 (to supervise/oversee) + 促 (to urge/promote) -- to oversee and urge someone forward -- to supervise and push.