争
Character learning workspace

zhēng · to dispute, to fight, to contend, to strive

Master the form, understand its parts, and learn how it behaves in real Chinese.

HSK 3.0 · Level 5Frequency #2989
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Learn every stroke in 争

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Stroke graphics: Make Me a Hanzi / Arphic Public License
Step-by-step explorer

See how 争 is constructed

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Writing notes

Shape and proportion

6Total strokes

Count each continuous pen movement once, including turns and hooks.

Top-bottomCharacter structure

Keep the upper section balanced above the lower section.

亅Key radical

Use the highlighted radical in the animation as a visual anchor for remembering the form.

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Vocabulary in context

Common words with 争

Open a word for its full breakdown, or listen before reading the meaning.

zhēngWords pronounced zhēng
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Example sentences

Notice where 争 sits in each complete thought.

Zhè shì gè hěn jiān nán de dòu zhēng.这是个很艰难的斗争。

It was an uphill struggle.

Source: Tatoeba #9958525 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Tā shì zài zhàn zhēng zhōng shòu shāng de.他是在战争中受伤的。

He was wounded in the war.

Source: Tatoeba #616210 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Nǐ bié zài gēn tā zhēng chǎo le.你别再跟他争吵了。

Don't quarrel with him any more.

Source: Tatoeba #3526195 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Hé tā zhēng lùn zhè jiàn shì dé bù chū jié guǒ.和他争论这件事得不出结果。

It is no use arguing with him about it.

Source: Tatoeba #1314189 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Zhège diàn yǐng hěn yǒu zhēng yì.这个电影很有争议。

This movie is highly controversial.

Source: Tatoeba #3081237 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Zì yóu shì wǒ men suǒ lì zhēng de.自由是我们所力争的。

Freedom is what we're fighting for.

Source: Tatoeba #9963138 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Turn reference into recall

How to study 争 in context

  1. Say zhēng, then recall the core meaning: to dispute, to fight, to contend, to strive.
  2. Write all 6 strokes while keeping the top-bottom balanced.
  3. Use it in 竞争 (jìng zhēng), meaning “to compete”.
  4. Read the complete sentence aloud once, then cover the translation and explain how 争 works in that context.

Definitions and traditional forms are compiled from Make Me a Hanzi, HSK curriculum data, and CC-CEDICT. Sourced example sentences link to Tatoeba; editorial examples are labeled separately. Review data sources and licenses.