Meaning of 争
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to strive for
- to vie for
- to argue or debate
- deficient or lacking (dialect)
- how or what (literary)
How to use 争
争 (zhēng) means to compete for something or to argue, and it often appears in compounds like 竞争 (jìngzhēng) and 争论 (zhēnglùn). On its own it usually takes an object, the thing people fight over. Example: 两个孩子在争一个玩具。(Liǎng gè háizi zài zhēng yí gè wánjù.) Two kids are fighting over a toy.
The top of 争 looks like a hand reaching down, and the lower part looks like a hand gripping a stick. Picture two hands pulling on the same object, each trying to win it.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 争 (zhēng) with 挣 (zhèng, to earn, as in 挣钱) because they sound alike, but 挣 has the hand radical 扌 and a fourth tone. Also watch the vertical stroke, which goes straight down through the middle and ends with a hook.
争 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
争 zhēng · to strive for · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 争.
| 争取 | zhēngqǔ | to fight for; to strive for |
| 战争 | zhànzhēng | war; conflict |
| 争论 | zhēnglùn | to argue; to debate |
| 竞争 | jìngzhēng | to compete; competition |
| 争议 | zhēngyì | controversy; dispute |
| 斗争 | dòuzhēng | a struggle; fight |
| 争夺 | zhēngduó | to fight over; to contest |
| 争吵 | zhēngchǎo | to quarrel; dispute |
| 抗争 | kàngzhēng | to resist; to make a stand and fight (against) |
| 争执 | zhēngzhí | to dispute; to disagree |
| 争端 | zhēngduān | dispute; controversy |
| 力争 | lìzhēng | to work hard for; to do all one can |
Questions about 争
What does 争 mean?
争 (zhēng) means "to strive for; to vie for" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 争?
争 is made of 1 character: 争 (6 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.
Is 争 an HSK word?
Yes. 争 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 争 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 争 is written 爭.
What is the difference between 争 and 吵?
吵 (chǎo) means to quarrel loudly, often emotionally, as in 吵架. 争 focuses on competing for something or arguing a point, and it can be calm, as in 争论 or 争取.
How do you use 争取 in a sentence?
争取 (zhēngqǔ) means to work hard to get or achieve something, and it is very common in everyday speech. For example, 我争取明天完成。(Wǒ zhēngqǔ míngtiān wánchéng.) means I will try my best to finish by tomorrow.