争 (zhēng) · to compete, to argue, to strive

Meanings

1 to compete
2 to argue
3 to strive

Characters

争

zhēng

to compete; to argue

Depicts two hands pulling at something - a visual representation of competition.

Examples

HSK 1

他们在争谁去。

Tāmen zài zhēng shéi qù.

They are arguing about who goes.

HSK 1

不要争了。

Búyào zhēng le.

Stop arguing.

HSK 6

时间不等人，我们要争分夺秒。

Shíjiān bù děng rén, wǒmen yào zhēngfēn-duómiǎo.

Time waits for no one, we must fight for every second.

Tips

usage

争 is a building block for many words: 争取 (strive for), 竞争 (compete), 争论 (debate), 战争 (war).

Components

semantic

⺈ dāo

claw; clawing hand (top form)

Top ⺈ is the clawing-hand top - a contracted form of 爪, a hand reaching down with fingers spread. In 争 it pictures the upper grasping hand pulling at the contested object below. Same top appears in 受 to receive (hand passing down), 爱 love (originally a hand giving heart). Pure semantic - supplies no sound.

semantic

彐 jì

snout; gripping hand (graphic)

Middle 彐 here functions as a second hand reaching upward - the lower grasper. Two hands, one above and one below, both pulling at the same object: the textbook compound-ideograph image of competition. 彐 elsewhere appears as a snout or pig-head stroke (in 雪, 寻); here it's a hand-shape reused.

ideograph

亅 jué

vertical hook stroke

Bottom-piercing vertical hook is the contested object - the thing both hands are tugging at. With the two hand-shapes above, the whole picture is two parties pulling at one stick: zero-sum struggle, hence 'compete, contend, fight over.' Indexed under Kangxi #6 亅 (jué, hook) by tradition via this very hook-stroke at the base.