争
to strive for; to vie for; to argue or debate; deficient or lacking (dialect); how or what (literary)
6 strokes
Dict coverage rank #569 U+4E89
How 争 is formed
Ideographic compound (会意字)
Simplified form of 爭, two hands 爪 and 彐 fighting over 亅
components: ⺈ 彐 亅
How to remember it
contend · Heisig RSH #951
bound up + rake
Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.
Characters built with 争 as their sound component
These characters all use 争 (zhēng) as their phonetic component — compare how they read:
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 争 sound component | zhēng | to dispute, to fight, to contend, to strive |
| 静 | jìng | still, quiet, motionless, gentle |
| 净 | jìng | clean, pure; to cleanse |
| 睁 | zhēng | to open one's eyes; to stare |
| 筝 | zhēng | guzheng, zither, string instrument |
| 铮 | zhēng | clanging sound; a small gong |
| 峥 | zhēng | high, lofty, noble; perilous, steep |
| 狰 | zhēng | fierce-looking, ferocious |
Words containing 争
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 克里木战争 | Kè lǐ mù Zhàn zhēng | the Crimean War (1853-1856) |
| 不争气 | bù zhēng qì | to be disappointing; to fail to live up to expectations |
| 中法战争 | Zhōng Fǎ Zhàn zhēng | Sino-French War (1883-1885) (concerning French seizure of Vietnam) |
| 争面子 | zhēng miàn zi | to do (sb) proud; to be a credit to (one's school etc); to make oneself look good; to buil… |
| 人民战争 | rén mín zhàn zhēng | people's war, military strategy advocated by Mao whereby a large number of ordinary citize… |
| 国内战争 | guó nèi zhàn zhēng | civil war; internal struggle |
| 力争上游 | lì zhēng shàng yóu | to strive for mastery (idiom); aiming for the best result; to have high ambitions |
| 美国独立战争 | Měi guó Dú lì Zhàn zhēng | American War of Independence (1775-1783) |
| 普法战争 | Pǔ Fǎ Zhàn zhēng | Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) |
| 太平洋战争 | Tài píng Yáng Zhàn zhēng | Pacific War between Japan and the US, 1941-1945 |
| 争球线 | zhēng qiú xiàn | scrimmage line (American football) |
| 不争 | bù zhēng | widely known; incontestable; undeniable; to not strive for; to not contend for |
| 争气 | zhēng qì | to work hard for sth; to resolve on improvement; determined not to fall short |
| 分争 | fēn zhēng | to dispute; to struggle for mastery |
| 争上游 | zhēng shàng yóu | to strive to be among the best; zheng shangyou (card game) |
| 解放战争 | Jiě fàng Zhàn zhēng | War of Liberation (1945-49), after which the Communists 共產黨武裝|共产党武装 under Mao Zedong 毛澤東|毛… |
| 正义斗争 | zhèng yì dòu zhēng | righteous struggle |
| 力争 | lì zhēng | to work hard for; to do all one can; to contend strongly |
| 护国战争 | Hù guó Zhàn zhēng | National Protection War or Campaign to Defend the Republic (1915), a rebellion against the… |
| 争论点 | zhēng lùn diǎn | contention |