HSK · Level 21
135 words
Chinese word
争
Pronunciation
Pinyinzhēng
Meaning
- verbfight
Example
孩子们为玩具争了起来。hái zi men wèi wán jù zhēng le qǐ lái
The children started fighting over the toys.
More examples
运动员为了奖牌互相争夺。yùn dòng yuán wèi le jiǎng pái hù xiāng zhēng duó
The athletes are vying for the medals.
Core concept
Two sides push against each other to gain ground, whether the prize is an object, a position, or a point of view.
Common phrases
争夺冠军zhēng duó guàn jūn
vie for the championship
争执zhēng zhí
quarrel
Similar words
抢qiǎng: Quickly take something belonging to another person for yourself.
争取zhēng qǔ: Make an effort to gain better conditions or obtain a right.
竞争jìng zhēng: Compete against others through performance to pursue success or profit.
Definition in Chinese
通过言语或行动与对方发生冲突以取得优势或维护立场。tōng guò yán yǔ huò xíng dòng yǔ duì fāng fā shēng chōng tū yǐ qǔ dé yōu shì huò wéi hù lì chǎng
Word origin
The traditional form 爭 (zhēng, "to contend") depicts opposing hands pulling at a shared object, linking physical struggle with contending for a goal or position.
Usage tips
- English usually separates physical conflict, competition, and verbal disagreement into different verbs, but Chinese uses one verb across these settings, so the situation supplies the exact sense.
Other meanings
- competeverb
- argueverb
- vie forverb
Related words
- 争夺zhēng duóvie forverb
- 争执zhēng zhíquarrelverb