拼杀 (pīnshā): to fight desperately

Meanings

1 to fight desperately
2 to grapple with the enemy
3 (figurative) to compete fiercely

Characters

拼

pīn

to risk all; to go all-out

杀

shā

to kill; to fight

Examples

战士们在前线奋勇拼杀。

Zhànshìmen zài qiánxiàn fènyǒng pīnshā.

The soldiers fought bravely on the front line.

几家公司在市场上激烈拼杀。

Jǐ jiā gōngsī zài shìchǎng shàng jīliè pīnshā.

Several companies are fighting fiercely in the marketplace.

Tips

usage

Originally literal — close-quarters combat — but now equally common as a sports/business metaphor: 在球场上拼杀 (battle it out on the pitch), 商场拼杀 (compete fiercely in business). The 拼 (pīn) carries the ‘risk-everything’ feel, the same as in 拼命 (pīnmìng).