Meaning of 挣钱
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to make money
How to use 挣钱
挣钱 is a common, everyday way to say you earn money through work, often with a sense of effort. It is a verb-object phrase, so you can split it: 挣了很多钱 (zhèng le hěn duō qián). Example: 他每天工作十个小时挣钱养家。(Tā měitiān gōngzuò shí gè xiǎoshí zhèngqián yǎng jiā.) He works ten hours a day to earn money and support his family.
挣 has the hand radical 扌 next to 争 (zhēng, to strive), so picture a hand striving and grabbing for 钱 (qián), money, which has the metal radical 钅. Working hard with your hands to get money is 挣钱.
Common mistake: In 挣钱 the character 挣 is read in the fourth tone, zhèng, but in 挣扎 (zhēngzhá, to struggle) it is first tone, zhēng. Learners often carry one reading over to the other word.
挣钱 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.
挣 zhèng · to struggle to get free · 9 strokes
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- 9
钱 qián · coin · 10 strokes
- 1
- 2
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- 4
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- 10
Related words
Words that share a character with 挣钱.
| 钱包 | qiánbāo | purse; wallet |
| 价钱 | jiàqián | price |
| 赚钱 | zhuànqián | to earn money; moneymaking |
| 金钱 | jīnqián | money; currency |
| 省钱 | shěngqián | to save money |
| 挣扎 | zhēngzhá | to struggle |
| 值钱 | zhíqián | valuable; costly |
| 零钱 | língqián | change (of money); small change |
| 钱财 | qiáncái | wealth; money |
| 赔钱 | péiqián | to lose money; to suffer a financial loss; to pay for damages |
| 掏钱 | tāo qián | to pay; to spend money |
| 本钱 | běnqián | capital; (fig.) asset; advantage; the means (to do sth) |
Questions about 挣钱
What does 挣钱 mean?
挣钱 (zhèngqián) means "to make money".
How do you write 挣钱?
挣钱 is made of 2 characters: 挣 (9 strokes), 钱 (10 strokes). That is 19 strokes in total.
Is 挣钱 an HSK word?
Yes. 挣钱 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 挣钱 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 挣钱 is written 掙錢.
What is the difference between 挣钱 and 赚钱?
Both mean to make money and are often interchangeable. 挣钱 leans toward earning through labor and effort, like a salary. 赚钱 (zhuànqián) often suggests profit, such as from business or investing.
How do I say how much money someone earns using 挣?
Put the amount between 挣 and 钱, or use 挣 with the amount directly. For example, 她一个月挣八千块 (tā yí gè yuè zhèng bāqiān kuài) means she earns eight thousand yuan a month.