Chinese Conversation · Level 78
91 words
Chinese word
挣扎
Pronunciation
Pinyinzhēng zhá
Meaning
- verbstruggle
Example
孩子在床上挣扎，不肯睡觉。hái zi zài chuáng shàng zhēng zhá bù kěn shuì jiào
The child is struggling in bed and refuses to go to sleep.
More examples
被洪水围困的村民拼命挣扎着寻找出路。bèi hóng shuǐ wéi kùn de cūn mín pīn mìng zhēng zhá zhe xún zhǎo chū lù
The villagers trapped by the flood struggled desperately to find a way out.
Core concept
A trapped or pressured person pushes, twists, and keeps trying to escape.
Common phrases
挣扎求生zhēng zhá qiú shēng
struggle to survive
在困境中挣扎zài kùn jìng zhōng zhēng zhá
struggle in adversity
挣扎反抗zhēng zhá fǎn kàng
struggle and resist
Similar words
摆脱bǎi tuō: Free oneself from a hardship, burden, or limiting control.
抵抗dǐ kàng: Push back against force or pressure to prevent or reduce its effect.
反抗fǎn kàng: Disobey authority or rules in order to follow one's own will.
Definition in Chinese
指在身体受限或心理受压时，用力反抗或反复尝试摆脱束缚的动作或状态。zhǐ zài shēn tǐ shòu xiàn huò xīn lǐ shòu yā shí yòng lì fǎn kàng huò fǎn fù cháng shì bǎi tuō shù fù de dòng zuò huò zhuàng tài
Word origin
挣扎 (zhēngzhá, "struggle") is a fixed compound that carries the concrete sense of forceful movement against restraint into emotional and situational pressure.
Usage tips
- In everyday speech, the word can describe inner pressure as well as blocked movement, so the subject may be a person facing a hard choice or a difficult situation, not only someone being held.