Meaning of 争取
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to fight for
- to strive for
- to win over
How to use 争取
争取 is very common with goals, chances and time, like 争取机会 (to fight for a chance) or 争取时间 (to buy time). It also often comes before a verb to mean "try hard to" do something. Example: 我们争取明天完成。(Wǒmen zhēngqǔ míngtiān wánchéng.) We will try our best to finish tomorrow.
争 (zhēng) means to compete or contend, and 取 (qǔ) means to take. Put them together and you compete in order to take something: you fight for it or strive for it.
Common mistake: Learners often use 争取 like 争论 (zhēnglùn) or 吵架, but 争取 is not about arguing with someone. It is about working toward a result. Also watch the tones: zhēng is first tone and qǔ is third tone, so do not say zhèng or qù.
争取 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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取 qǔ · to take · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 争取.
| 取得 | qǔdé | to acquire; to get; to obtain |
| 取消 | qǔxiāo | to cancel; to call off; to revoke; to rescind |
| 采取 | cǎiqǔ | to adopt or carry out (measures, policies, course of action); to take |
| 战争 | zhànzhēng | war; conflict |
| 获取 | huòqǔ | to gain; to get; to acquire |
| 争论 | zhēnglùn | to argue; to debate |
| 录取 | lùqǔ | to accept an applicant (prospective student, employee etc) who passes an entrance exam; to |
| 竞争 | jìngzhēng | to compete; competition |
| 争议 | zhēngyì | controversy; dispute |
| 斗争 | dòuzhēng | a struggle; fight |
| 夺取 | duóqǔ | to seize; to capture |
| 争夺 | zhēngduó | to fight over; to contest |
Questions about 争取
What does 争取 mean?
争取 (zhēngqǔ) means "to fight for; to strive for" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 争取?
争取 is made of 2 characters: 争 (6 strokes), 取 (8 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 争取 an HSK word?
Yes. 争取 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 争取 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 争取 is written 爭取.
What is the difference between 争取 and 努力?
努力 (nǔlì) means to make an effort in general and describes how hard you work. 争取 points to a specific target you want to win or reach, such as a prize, a chance or a deadline. You can combine them: 努力争取好成绩 (work hard to get good grades).
Can 争取 mean to win people over?
Yes. With people as the object, it means to gain their support. For example, 争取更多的支持者 (zhēngqǔ gèng duō de zhīchízhě) means to win over more supporters.