竞

競
jìng
verb #10,837

Meanings

  1. 1 to compete
  2. 2 to contend

Examples

HSK 5
Liǎng jiā gōngsī zhījiān de jìngzhēng fēicháng jīliè.
Competition between the two companies is very fierce.
HSK 6
Tā zài shùxué jìngsài zhōng dé le dìyīmíng.
He won first place in the math competition.

Tips

mistakes
Don't confuse with 竟 (unexpectedly) - no 亠 on top.

Components

radical
立 lì
to stand
Top 立 - a person standing on the ground, the indexing radical. Filing convention: 竞 is grouped under 立 by stroke shape, though etymologically it depicts two people racing. The standing figure on top represents the first racer. Same radical groups 竞 with 站 (stand), 章 (chapter), 童 (child).
semantic
兄 xiōng
elder brother
Bottom 兄 - a person with an emphasized mouth/head above legs, originally meaning 'elder' or 'one who speaks'. In 竞 the bottom figure mirrors the top, giving the compound ideograph: two people racing side by side. The original oracle-bone form showed two heads, two pairs of legs - a foot race captured graphically. Source of 竞争 (compete), 竞赛 (contest).

Stroke Order

竞 jìng