Meaning of 冲动
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to have an urge
- to be impetuous
- impulse
- urge
How to use 冲动
冲动 works as a noun meaning an urge or impulse, and as an adjective meaning impulsive or rash. It often appears in advice like 别冲动 (bié chōngdòng), "don't be rash." Example: 他一时冲动，买了一辆车。(Tā yìshí chōngdòng, mǎi le yí liàng chē.) He bought a car on impulse.
冲 (chōng) means to rush or charge forward, and 动 (dòng) means to move. An impulse is when something inside you rushes you into moving before you think.
Common mistake: Learners often read 冲 with the fourth tone chòng, which is a different reading. In 冲动 it is first tone chōng. Also, 冲动 usually sounds negative, so do not use it to praise someone as passionate. Use 热情 (rèqíng) for that.
冲动 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
冲 chōng · thoroughfare · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
动 dòng · to move · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 冲动.
| 动作 | dòngzuò | movement; motion; action; to act; to move |
| 行动 | xíngdòng | operation; action |
| 动物 | dòngwù | animal |
| 活动 | huódòng | to exercise; to move about; to work out; shaky; unsteady; loose (tooth etc) |
| 运动 | yùndòng | to move; to exercise |
| 感动 | gǎndòng | to move (sb); to touch (sb emotionally) |
| 动物园 | dòngwùyuán | zoo |
| 发动 | fādòng | to start; to launch |
| 自动 | zìdòng | automatic; voluntarily |
| 主动 | zhǔdòng | to take the initiative; to do sth of one's own accord |
| 动力 | dònglì | motive power; (fig.) motivation; impetus |
| 推动 | tuīdòng | to push (e.g. for acceptance of a plan); to promote; to give impetus to |
Questions about 冲动
What does 冲动 mean?
冲动 (chōngdòng) means "to have an urge; to be impetuous" and is used as a noun and adjective.
How do you write 冲动?
冲动 is made of 2 characters: 冲 (6 strokes), 动 (6 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 冲动 an HSK word?
Yes. 冲动 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 冲动 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 冲动 is written 衝動.
How do you say 'to act on impulse' with 冲动?
A common pattern is 一时冲动 (yìshí chōngdòng), "a moment of impulse," as in 一时冲动做了决定 (made a decision on impulse). You can also say 凭冲动做事 (píng chōngdòng zuòshì), "to act based on impulse."
Can 冲动 mean a positive urge, like wanting to create something?
Yes, as a noun it can be neutral. For example, 创作的冲动 (chuàngzuò de chōngdòng) means "the urge to create." As an adjective describing a person, though, it usually suggests rashness.