争强好胜

爭強好勝

zhēngqiáng-hàoshèng

idiom

Meanings

1 competitive, ambitious and aggressive
2 always wanting to be the strongest and to beat others

Characters

to contend, struggle for

strong, the upper hand

to win, victory

Examples

HSK 4

争强好胜不一定是坏事，关键看用在哪里。

Zhēngqiáng-hàoshèng bùyídìng shì huàishì, guānjiàn kàn yòng zài nǎlǐ.

Being competitive isn't necessarily bad - what matters is where you channel it.

HSK 7-9

她从小就争强好胜，不甘人后。

Tā cóngxiǎo jiù zhēngqiáng-hàoshèng, bùgān rénhòu.

She's been fiercely competitive since childhood, never willing to fall behind.

Tips

history

Recorded in Qing novelist 文康's 《儿女英雄传》 chapter 35: 任是争强好胜的，偏逢用违所长 - even the most competitive types end up forced to use their strengths in the wrong places. The phrase has lived in Chinese ever since.

usage

Slightly negative tilt - implies excessive ego, not just healthy ambition. For a positive flavor try 力争上游 (strive upstream) or 不甘落后 (refuse to fall behind).

Stroke Order

争 zhēng

强 qiáng

好 hǎo

胜 shèng