缓急 (huǎnjí): priority (urgency vs. non-urgen…

Meanings

1 priority (urgency vs. non-urgency)
2 whether something is urgent
3 an emergency

Characters

缓

Examples

处理事情要分清轻重缓急。

Chǔlǐ shìqing yào fēnqīng qīngzhòng huǎnjí.

When handling things, you must distinguish what's important and what's urgent.

朋友有缓急，应当互相帮助。

Péngyou yǒu huǎnjí, yīngdāng hùxiāng bāngzhù.

When a friend has an emergency, we should help each other.

Tips

usage

Built from opposites: 缓 'slow / not urgent' + 急 'fast / urgent' — together they refer to the spectrum (priority) or specifically to its urgent end (an emergency). The set phrase 轻重缓急 (qīngzhòng huǎnjí, 'light-heavy-slow-urgent') is essential office vocabulary for ranking tasks.