争

zhēng

HSK 5

争 — zhēng

1. to strive for; to vie for; to compete for

   他们为了冠军在赛场上争得很激烈。 tāmen wèile guànjūn zài sàichǎng shàng zhēngde hěn jīliè — They competed fiercely on the field for the championship.

2. to argue; to debate; to quarrel over

   他们为了这件事在办公室里争来争去。 tāmen wèile zhèjiàn shì zài bàngōngshì lǐ zhēng lái zhēng qù — They argued back and forth in the office over this matter.

3. deficient; lacking (dialectal)

   他这方面有点争，不够细心。 tā zhèfāngmiàn yǒudiǎn zhēng bùgòu xìxīn — He is a bit lacking in this area; not careful enough.

4. how; what (literary/archaic usage)

   怎奈春光争忍归，花落知多少。 zěnnài chūnguāng zhēng rěn guī huāluò zhīduōshǎo — How can one bear to let the spring scenery depart?