Chinese word

争分夺秒

Pronunciation

Pinyinzhēng fēn duó miǎo

Meaning

  • idiomrace against time

Example

我们在争分夺秒赶工。wǒ men zài zhēng fēn duó miǎo gǎn gōng

We are racing against time to finish the work.

Illustration for 争分夺秒 (race against time)

More examples

物流人员在高峰期争分夺秒分拣包裹。wù liú rén yuán zài gāo fēng qī zhēng fēn duó miǎo fēn jiǎn bāo guǒ

Logistics workers race against time to sort packages during peak periods.

Core concept

Time is treated as something to seize, with no moment wasted before an important task is finished.

Common phrases

  • 争分夺秒抓紧时间zhēng fēn duó miǎo zhuā jǐn shí jiān

    race against time and make the most of every moment

  • 争分夺秒抢救伤员zhēng fēn duó miǎo qiǎng jiù shāng yuán

    race against time to rescue the injured

Similar words

分秒必争fēn miǎo bì zhēng: Every minute and second counts when urgent work must be completed.
火烧眉毛huǒ shāo méi máo: A crisis is dangerously close, so an urgent response is needed at once.
刻不容缓kè bù róng huǎn: A situation is so urgent that there is no time for delay.
迫在眉睫pò zài méi jié: A problem or danger is extremely close and may happen very soon.

Definition in Chinese

用来形容争抢时间、毫不耽搁地争取每分每秒以完成重要或紧急的事情。yòng lái xíng róng zhēng qiǎng shí jiān háo bù dān gē dì zhēng qǔ měi fēn méi miǎo yǐ wán chéng zhòng yào huò jǐn jí de shì qíng

Word origin

争分夺秒 (zhēngfēnduómiǎo, "race against time") combines 争 (zhēng, "compete for") and 夺 (duó, "take") with 分 (fēn, "minute") and 秒 (miǎo, "second") to picture each moment as something to seize.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, the idiom often describes urgent work such as construction, rescue, or a deadline-driven task rather than ordinary punctuality.

Opposites

  • 慢条斯理màn tiáo sī lǐtake one's timeidiom

Word lists with this word