促

Formed as a phono-semantic compound:

人 (person) provides the semantic element, relating to human action;

足 (foot, movement) provides the phonetic element.

The imagery suggests someone urging another to move quickly, pressing forward with their feet.

Semantic range:

- to urge, press, hasten (재촉하다);

- to be pressing, urgent (급하다);

- to be narrow, cramped (좁다, figuratively from being “pressed in”).

促進 (촉진) — promotion, acceleration

催促 (최촉) — to press, urge insistently

促成 (촉성) — to facilitate, bring about quickly

迫促 (박촉) — pressed, constrained, cramped

促狹 (촉협) — narrow-minded, petty

In classical texts, 促 often appears in contrast with leisure or slowness, highlighting the tension between urgency and natural pacing. In Confucian writings, it may carry a negative nuance, warning against being too hasty or pressing others unduly, since cultivation requires balance.

In Daoist thought, 促 is sometimes contrasted with letting things unfold naturally (自然), embodying the Daoist critique of forcing or rushing.