Chinese word

战斗

Pronunciation

Pinyinzhàn dòu

Meaning

  • verbfight

Example

他们在前线战斗很久了。tā men zài qián xiàn zhàn dòu hěn jiǔ le

They have been fighting on the front line for a long time.

Illustration for 战斗 (fight)

More examples

工人们为了权益而与公司战斗。gōng rén men wèi le quán yì ér yǔ gōng sī zhàn dòu

The workers are fighting the company for their rights.

Core concept

An intense clash in which opposing sides use force or sustained effort to reach competing aims.

Common phrases

  • 与敌人进行战斗yǔ dí rén jìn xíng zhàn dòu

    fight the enemy

  • 在前线战斗zài qián xiàn zhàn dòu

    fight on the front line

  • 为权利战斗wèi quán lì zhàn dòu

    fight for rights

Similar words

打仗dǎ zhàng: Fight in a war or battle as an active participant, in everyday speech.
交战jiāo zhàn: Fight one another with weapons in a state of armed conflict.
进攻jìn gōng: Advance against an enemy position or defense in order to attack.

Definition in Chinese

进行武装或肉体上的交战，也可指为实现某一目的而进行的激烈斗争。jìn xíng wǔ zhuāng huò ròu tǐ shàng de jiāo zhàn yě kě zhǐ wèi shí xiàn mǒu yí mù dì ér jìn xíng de jī liè dòu zhēng

Word origin

战斗 (zhàndòu, "fight") combines 战 (zhàn, "battle") + 斗 (dòu, "fight"), joining two ideas of direct conflict into a word for serious combat or struggle.

Usage tips

  • English fight can describe a brief quarrel, but this word usually signals a more serious and sustained contest, so the two words do not match in every casual context.

Other meanings

  • battlenoun
  • struggleverb

Opposites

  • 撤退chè tuìretreatverb
  • 停战tíng zhàncease fireverb

Related words

  • 战斗力zhàn dòu lìcombat powernoun
  • 战斗员zhàn dòu yuáncombatantnoun
  • 战斗机zhàn dòu jīfighter jetnoun

Word lists with this word