力争

力爭
lìzhēng
verb HSK 7-9 #26,598

Meanings

  1. 1 to strive for; to fight hard for
  2. 2 to do one's utmost to

Characters

Literally 'to fight with full force' — using all your strength to compete for something.

Examples

Wǒmen yào lìzhēng dìyī míng.
We must strive for first place.
Gōngsī lìzhēng zài niándǐ qián wánchéng xiàngmù.
The company is striving to finish the project before year end.

Tips

grammar
力争 is followed directly by a goal or a verb phrase: 力争上游 (lìzhēng shàngyóu, 'strive to be the best'), 力争完成 (lìzhēng wánchéng, 'strive to complete'). It's more formal and determined than 努力 (nǔlì, 'to try hard').

Stroke Order

zhēng