只争朝夕

只爭朝夕
zhǐzhēngzhāoxī
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 to seize every minute
  2. 2 to make the most of every moment
  3. 3 to race against time

Examples

Shíjiān jǐnpò, wǒmen bìxū zhǐzhēngzhāoxī.
Time is tight — we must seize every minute.
Wèile mèngxiǎng, tā zhǐzhēngzhāoxī, cóng bù xièdài.
For his dream he races against the clock, never slackening.

Tips

usage
(zhāo) here means 'morning' and (xī) means 'evening' — 'contesting only for mornings and evenings', i.e. fighting for every span of daylight. Register is formal and mildly exhortatory, common in speeches and slogans.

Stroke Order

zhǐ
zhēng
cháo