争 zhēng — struggle; fight
同学们都在争着回答问题。Tóng xué men dōu zài zhēng zhe huí dá wèn tí.The classmates are all eager to answer the question.
Common words: 争取 (zhēng qǔ)、战争 (zhàn zhēng)、竞争 (jìng zhēng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "struggle"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "struggle", including 争 (zhēng), 挣 (zhēng / zhèng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "struggle" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 争 (zhēng), 挣 (zhēng / zhèng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span zhēng, zhèng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 争 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 争 zhēngstruggle; fightUseful words: 争取, 战争
- 挣 zhēng / zhèngstruggle; to earn; to make (money)Useful words: 挣钱, 挣扎
Common words for these 2 "struggle" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 争 (zhēng) — so "struggle" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "struggle".
挣 zhēng / zhèng — struggle; to earn; to make (money)
他靠自己的双手挣钱养家。Tā kào zì jǐ de shuāng shǒu zhèng qián yǎng jiā.He earns money to support his family with his own hands.
Common words: 挣钱 (zhèng qián)、挣扎 (zhēng zhá)、挣得 (zhèng dé)
All 2 characters
Open 争、挣 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.